Five Biggest Concerns Facing the Utah Jazz Ahead of the Playoffs

Who Can Step Up?

Many folks figured that the Utah Jazz would be a much better team this year than last, and they have been absolutely right. However, the reason for that vast improvement hasn’t necessarily come in the way that they presumed.

Aside from the addition of the veterans, the Jazz were seen as a squad with so much potential that their improvement this year would largely be based on how much the younger guys could improve their games and thus elevate the team as a whole. However, while that has taken place in a few instances, it hasn’t exactly described the roster as a whole.

In essence, the Jazz are where they’re at today because their two best players, Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert, have elevated their game to a degree that few, if any, saw coming. Hayward has proven that he’s a legitimate All-Star and to be quite honest his improvements this year have astounded me.

Not only are his numbers better, but his confidence and control on the court are visual proof of how hard he’s worked and how much better he has become.

Rudy Gobert wasn’t an All-Star this season, though many would argue that he was beyond deserving of the recognition. Nevertheless, he continues to put up incredible games night in and night out, a fact that was once again evidenced by his career-high 35-point outing last night that came on 13-of-14 shooting along with 13 rebounds and four blocks.

He’s without a doubt one of the top rim protectors in the NBA and a true contender for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

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So while Hayward and Gobert’s incredible strides have been an amazing sight to behold and are the leading reason why the Jazz are where they’re at, it’s also somewhat unfortunate to see that while they have largely outperformed expectations, most of their teammates have failed to do so.

Just imagine if fellow starters Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors had made half the strides that Gobert and Hayward have. The same goes for bench players such as Trey Lyles and Alec Burks who we’ve already touched on.

Then there’s George Hill who has certainly elevated his game from last season, but in a lot of ways has been pretty inconsistent, particularly since the All-Star break.

So while Hayward and Gobert are likely to continue doing what they do, one concern for Utah has to be, who outside of those two is going to step up come postseason time?

Now, to give credit where it’s due, Joe Ingles is another guy who most certainly has made strides this season and Joe Johnson has of course been a phenomenal pickup for the Jazz. But the fact still remains that Utah is in need of more of their role players rising to the occasion and drawing nearer to their potential if the team is truly going to make some noise in the playoffs.

Hayward and Gobert have been phenomenal this year, perhaps even more so than most of us expected. But that duo alone won’t be enough to overcome whatever challenging team awaits them in the first round of postseason action.

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While each of these issues certainly raises a significant level of concern for the Utah Jazz, the good news is that there are worries facing every single one of the league’s playoff teams. Not to mention, there’s many that see Utah’s slow pace, lockdown defense anchored by Rudy Gobert and widespread amount of talent as indicators of the Jazz being a daunting first round foe themselves.

So while it’s easy to get caught up in the negative and all the issues the Jazz have had and may carry with them into the playoffs, it’s more important to focus on everything that has gone right.

The Jazz are a sure playoff team that still has a great shot at reaching 50 wins. They’re currently in fourth place in the West and they have toppled several of the league’s top squads this season. Utah is a great team and despite some concerns about their upcoming playoff performances, they have as good a chance as anyone of advancing to the second round.

So even though there are red flags that Quin Snyder and Co. need to work out heading into the postseason, expect a formidable Jazz team to be able to give their opponents just as much trouble in the playoffs as any team could.

And as long as they can deal with adversity as well as they have throughout the 2016-17 campaign up to this point, then there’s no telling how well they’ll be able to look past these concerns and elevate their game to a new level entirely.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com