Subscribe
Follow Us
Without the Utah Jazz swinging the trade for Donovan Mitchell, there is a good chance that this team wouldn't have even made the playoffs. Thanks to that, alongside other plays like Ricky Rubio and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz in the thick of a solid playoff run.
As important as Mitchell has been this year, and even though he might end up being the Rookie of the Year, he isn't the most important player to this team, that title goes to Ricky Rubio.
Rubio was always a decent player for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he didn't have a great jump shot and that really limited what he could do.
He has really improved his jump shot the last few years and with the Utah Jazz this year that has really opened up things. He has always been a great passer and that has made things really easy for Mitchell.
In Game 1 and 3 of this series, the value of Rubio has really shown and the guy that has suffered the most has been the rookie, Donovan Mitchell.
Article Continues Below
After the game, Rudy Gobert talked about how much pressure is put on Mitchell without Rubio and how he shouldn't be blamed for this loss.
Gobert,"Ricky not being in puts alot of pressure on Donovan. Mitchell has played the whole year as a guard but not a point guard. I know that Mitchell is blaming himself for this loss, but I know that he is going to respond in game 4."
— Tony Parks (@tonyparks801) May 5, 2018
In Game 3, Mitchell really struggled to find his shot or getting his teammates involved. He played 31 minutes putting up ten points, three assists, and one rebound. He finished the game 4-16 from the field and 2-7 from deep.
For the Jazz and Rubio there might be good news though as he seems to be getting closer and closer to a return. When he was originally diagnosed they said he could miss ten days with the injury and if that number holds true he should be back for Sunday's game.
