Utah Jazz: 10 Takeaways After 10 Games

Nov 15, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) handles the ball in front of Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

9) Rudy Gobert Is the Key to Everything

This one is a no-brainer, but still bears mentioning. I don’t mean to undersell the importance of Gordon Hayward or Derrick Favors, but without Rudy Gobert in the middle, things tend to unravel pretty quick. In the two games that the Stifle Tower missed, the Jazz are 0-2 and posted a net rating of minus-7.2.

Favors filled in admirably against the Miami Heat with a David Robinson-like stat line and the loss against the Orlando Magic came on the second half of a back-to-back set, but the fact remains that if Gobert is ever forced to miss significant time, it could be a death sentence for the Jazz season.

While the whole of this Jazz team is greater than the some of its parts, no part is more important than Gobert.

Next: No. 8