Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

*NEW ACQUISITION

They’re on the cusp.

They have enough

pieces that they could

maybe get to the

conference finals,

sneak past someone.

If they were in the

East, I’d maybe have

them as the favorite

to get to the Finals....

RUDY GOBERT, to me, that’s

the hesitation I have.

He’s an All-NBA talent,

don’t get me wrong,

but is he the type of

center you need to

take that next step

and win it, or do you

need an Anthony Davis

type who stretches

the floor and can be

a threat handling the

ball? Toronto won

with Marc Gasol, but

he had to sit out at

times [in the playoffs],

and they went small

to be more dynamic

offensively. If you

have to play four-on-

five offensively [with

Gobert], does that keep

you from getting over

the hump?... Their

backcourt could be just

as good as Portland’s.

DONOVAN MITCHELL is

so competitive and

tough, works harder

than everybody else,

athletic and long.

Now you give him

MIKE CONLEY.... Maybe

it’s just the market

he played in, the style

of play, but there’s no

reason Conley shouldn’t

be a Hall of Fame–type

guy. All the games he’s

won, he’s always been

behind people getting

All-Star nods. It’s a

shame, and it doesn’t

make any sense....

They’re still lacking a

big wing who can score

and defend but they

have everything else—a

rim-rolling center who

protects the basket,

great guard play,

shooting.... ED DAVIS will

be solid. I like JEFF GREEN.

BOJAN BOGDANOVI ́C is a

little overpaid, but he’ll

be great for them.

Projected Lineup

Bench

Last season star Donovan Mitchell

was the key to the Jazz’s fortunes:

They ran up a remarkable 32 – 5

RECORD IN GAMES IN WHICH

MITCHELL SHOT 45% or better. After

hitting their stride in January they rolled to 50

wins, but in the postseason the Rockets exposed

their offensive inconsistency, holding Utah under

100 points three times in five games. The 6' 3"

Mitchell, who in his second season led the team

with 23.8 points per game, averaged 21.4 on 32.1%

shooting in the first-round loss. To help him develop

his efficiency and shot selection, Utah added the

best pure point guard on the market in Mike Conley,

who was one of the league’s most underrated players

in Memphis and, at age 32, still has plenty in the

tank. The team also sprung for 6' 8" sharpshooter

Bojan Bogdanovi ́c, who propped up the Pacers for

a large chunk of 2018–19. Those pickups point to a

lighter load for Mitchell—and potentially a big leap

forward for the Jazz. —Jeremy Woo

32–5

TELLING NUMBER

JOE

INGLES

12.1 PPG; 5.7 APG;

44.8 FG%; 39.1 3FG%

PF

Starters

PG

MIKE

CONLEY*

21.1 PPG; 6.4 APG;

43.8 FG%; 36.4 3FG%

SG

DONOVAN

MITCHELL

23.8 PPG; 4.2 APG;

43.2 FG%; 36.2 3FG%

SF

BOJAN

BOGDANOVI ́C*

18.0 PPG; 4.1 RPG;

49.7 FG%; 42.5 3FG%

C

RUDY

GOBERT

15.9 PPG; 12.9 RPG;

2.3 BPG; 66.9 FG%

PG

EMMANUEL

MUDIAY*

14.8 PPG; 3.9 APG;

44.6 FG%; 32.9 3FG%

PF

JEFF

GREEN*

12.3 PPG; 4.0 RPG;

1.8 APG; 47.5 FG%

ENEMY LINES

A rival scout weighs in

91

DYLAN BUELL/GETTY IMAGES (CONLEY)

UTAH

2018 – 19 RECORD 50– 32 3rd in Northwest

Jazz COACH QUIN SNYDER 6th season with Jazz

∂54 wins ∂Lose in 2nd round ∂Mike Conley (yep, still never been an All-Star) gets his first nod.

THE

WEST

Crystal Ball: