For the Utah Jazz, this is already their sixth straight season of being a legitimate playoff contender, but they still have not reached the Western Conference Finals. In the first quarter of this current campaign, they were on a tear as the best offense in the association as they would rain a ton of threes out of the floor. They were categorized as one of the healthiest squads in the league, but suddenly injuries and COVID cases creeped up into their locker room as well.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have missed double-digit games already, which is uncharacteristic for this dynamic duo. In the games without Mitchell, Utah's record is at 5-7, while the Jazz are 6-8 in the matches Gobert failed to suit up. Being below .500 without the two All-Stars for 12 and 14 games, respectively is more than enough for a cause of concern, especially with the lack of consistent production from their role players. With 24 more games remaining, it is a daunting task for Utah to seriously compete and possibly win the West.

Will Rudy Gobert get played off the floor once again?

One cannot argue that Gobert is one of the best rim protecters today. He has the counting stats and any sort of analytics to prove his case, but the eye test is also proof that Gobert has trouble playing with five phenomenal and versatile individuals on the court. His lack of ferocity and aggressiveness to attack mismatches when guards switch on him in the post makes him a liability on the offensive side of the floor.

With Gobert's offensive struggles, opponents can formulate schemes focused more on Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mike Conley Jr. On the other hand, he must heavily improve on his lateral quickness and just stay in front of his man so his teammates are not forced to run around and close out on every shooter in the court. When Gobert's weaknesses are exploited once again in the playoffs, coach Quin Snyder may be forced to play small as well with Rudy Gay or Eric Paschall at the five.

Does Utah have another spectacular scorer alongside Mitchell?

In the regular season, players like Bogdanovic, Conley Jr. and Jordan Clarkson could easily rack up over 20 points on a consistent basis. The problem is magnified come playoff time because Mitchell is tasked to create offense and manufacture his own shot, especially at the critical junctures of playoff games. For any championship contending squad, they have at the very least two players who are reliable in any playoff game.

Utah has been tougher to beat at the early games of a series, but defenses are able to force Mitchell to give up the ball which results to questionable shot selection from some of his teammates. Their offense gets stagnant and the lack of ball movement is very evident on their sets. The Jazz are difficult to defeat when the ball fizzes around, thus making it a vital aspect of their game they must continually focus on as the season progresses.

Is their depth enough to compete with the best?

One of the most reliable and cerebral off the bench players in the league in Joe Ingles has unfortunately torn his ACL. His ability to lead the Jazz second unit as been instrumental over the past years, but now their bench is depleted compared to some of the West powerhouses like the Golden State Warriors or Phoenix Suns.

Their trade deadline moves were underwhelming by acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Juancho Hernangomez in lieu of Ingles. These two guys are not terrible, but they will have a difficult time contributing consistently in the big games. Additionally, new acquisitions in Gay, Paschall and Hassan Whiteside will be immensely challenged with a ton of glaring holes on their game. For a lineup like Utah, versatility and excelling on various facets of the game is paramount, but it may seem insurmountable for Snyder to find the proper combination with this current crop of players.