The Utah Jazz are sitting in a good position once again this season as they have certainly played like one of the best teams in basketball for this regular season.
As we have seen with Utah in the past few seasons, their play in the regular season usually doesn't translate to the postseason and that's their biggest concern once again this year. They're going to need to go out and get a second star to pair next to Donovan Mitchell otherwise this team will continue to find the lack of success that they have found the past few years.
In order for Utah to win an NBA title just like many fans want, they're going to have to avoid some major mistakes. Let's take a look at three areas the Jazz must avoid if they want to win that long-awaited NBA championship.
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Jazz Must Avoids 2022
3. Need to play better in the playoffs
There is really no other way of putting it with the Jazz besides the fact that they have choked away some championship opportunities the past few seasons. It is easy to compare them to a team like the Milwaukee Bucks who have dominated the regular season but just couldn't find that success in the playoffs until last season. This is surely something that could happen for Utah but they also need to realize that they do not have a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo and they don't have two other star scorers in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
All Utah really needs to do to avoid any major mistakes this year is to just simply play better in the playoffs. It is much easier said than done but if they are going to want to win that championship that many fans in Utah want, they need to get the job done and play their best basketball in the postseason. If this means that their starters need to sit out a few nights so they are well rested for the playoffs, then that needs to be done.
2. Have to pair Donovan Mitchell with a true second star
Perhaps the biggest thing that Utah does need to do this season is going out to pair Donovan Mitchell next to a true second star. This guy is clearly one of the best in the NBA and there is even a case that he is the best guard in all of basketball. We saw last season in the playoffs that he can be an elite scorer for this team and help them win an NBA title.
Unfortunately, Utah does not have enough next to him to be able to win that championship and unless they go out and get a second star, there's a chance that there will be a repeated process of their last few playoffs which have ended in major disappointment.
The biggest thing for Utah this year is going out and getting that second star and there are many options out there at the trade deadline for them to do this. They have many guys on the roster that they could decide to trade that many other teams are going to be interested in because Utah is one of the deepest teams in the NBA.
1. Must make sure Rody Gobert is healthy
As we have seen with this Jazz team when Rudy Gobert has been off the court, their defense is completely different. This isn't the craziest thing in the world because as everybody knows, Gobert is probably the best rim protector in the NBA and there is even a case that he is one of the best of all time.
The schemes that he allows them to run are certainly irreplaceable and if he is not on the court, Utah does not have a chance to win an NBA title.
Gobert isn't the greatest offensive player in the world but what he does on the defensive side of the ball simply cannot be replaced. He is also playing at some good basketball on the offensive side of the ball this year as he's currently averaging 15.5 points per game on 70% shooting from the field. Many of his scoring opportunities are around the basket but that is still impressive to be finishing at a 70% rate.
He allows the rest of the Jazz team to be able to play defense chest to chest and be able to put a lot of pressure on everybody with the ball because he's always going to be there right behind them to contest a shot or be a help defender
As crazy as it might sound, he could be their biggest piece on this team just because of the way he allows the rest of his teammates to play defense. If Gobert is not on the Jazz and healthy for the playoffs, they will not win an NBA title. They need to make sure they do everything they possibly can in order to keep him healthy for the playoffs.
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