Three most important players to Utah Jazz success in 2017-18

Honorable Mentions

Each of the following players will undoubtedly play a key role in the Jazz’s success next season. However, for various reasons which are explained here, they didn’t quite make the cut as one of the top three that Utah most needs to step up in order to truly be a force.

Rudy Gobert

While it would be extraordinary to see Rudy Gobert take yet another impressive leap forward, even if he remains at exactly the same level he was last season, he’ll still be a force to be reckoned with for the Utah Jazz and likely their best overall player. Given that Gobert has largely already established himself as a top-tier player and has set an expectation for himself, there’s not necessarily as much intrigue about how Gobert will fare next season.

Yes, he absolutely has to be good for the Jazz to be successful, but since he’s already proven that he can do just that, there’s not as much what I like to call “make or break” potential here. Rudy was a constant last year and he figures to be very much that again this upcoming year.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell could very well end up being a player who takes the Jazz to new heights this upcoming season and ends up deserving of being on this list. He certainly showed such potential during the Summer League and if he can live up to even a fraction of the hopes and expectations placed on him, he’s bound to be a solid contributor.

However, given that he will be just a rookie looking to make his mark in his first year in the NBA, it’s unrealistic to expect him to be as vital a piece for the Jazz as some other more experienced players on the roster who are overdue for a breakout.

Ricky Rubio

Make no mistake about it, the Utah Jazz are hoping and praying that Ricky Rubio can have the best season of his career in 2017-18 and only go on to make himself better from there. With six seasons in the league under his belt, the point guard out of Spain is well overdue for a breakout year if he’s going to have one.

However, because of his newness to the team and the fact that last season the Jazz found a way to be successful without a full-time point man due to George Hill’s injuries, Rubio finds himself out of the top three by the narrowest of margins.