After making great strides under head coach Quin Snyder, the Utah Jazz unfortunately lost Gordon Hayward and George Hill in free agency. While the Jazz signed numerous players to fill Hayward's void, they traded the 2018 Oklahoma City Thunder top-14 protected first round draft pick for Ricky Rubio.
With numerous changes to the roster, it appears the Jazz will be building their franchise around Rudy Gobert. Originally a late first round draft pick in 2013, Gobert has steadily established himself as one of the league's best defenders. According to Gobert, Rubio has also ‘never played with a guy who can finish like me' on Sirius XM NBA:
"We're really excited to play with each other. (@rickyrubio9) told me he's never played with a guy who can finish like me." –@rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/9mSCz7BNSA
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 24, 2017
While Gobert is one of the rising young stars in the league, Rubio did play his final two seasons with Karl-Anthony Towns. As a result, Rubio's comment will likely come off as a shot toward the two-year center who averaged 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds this past season.
Heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, there are question marks regarding the Jazz. With Hayward signing with the Boston Celtics, the hope is Rodney Hood can establish himself as the team's primary scorer. As is the case with any young player, Hood will need to be consistent as he is set for restricted free agency next year.