Utah Jazz: Three reasons for optimism, three reasons for panic after Game 1

Panic – Mitchell needs some help

As I mentioned, Mitchell’s foot injury shouldn’t be bad enough to keep him sidelined. If he were going to miss time with the injury, I would give Jazz fans all the permission in the world to panic. If he weren’t playing, his team would be in deep, deep trouble.

But that brings up an interesting point and a serious reason for concern – Donovan cannot do this alone and is in desperate need of help. He put the Jazz on his back several times this season, but in a tough playoff series against a daunting Thunder team, that simply isn’t going to work if Utah hopes to earn four victories in seven or less tries.

Unfortunately, nobody besides Mitchell had all that good of a game on Sunday night. Ingles was efficient – 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep – but didn’t have the offensive or defensive impact the Jazz have come to expect. Favors was largely a non-factor, finishing with just seven points on 3-of-7 shooting while logging a team-low plus/minus of -12.

Rudy Gobert was also efficient – going 6-of-8 from the field for 14 points – but Steven Adams’ physicality gave him issues and overall he didn’t shake the confidence of the Thunder like the Jazz needed him to. Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder both had awful shooting nights, Royce O’Neale wasn’t effective on either end of the court, don’t get me started on Jonas Jerebko‘s play and while Dante Exum went 4-of-6 for 10 points, he had some costly turnovers and made some poor decisions that hurt the Jazz.

In other words, it was a pretty lackluster showing for a Jazz team whose strength supposedly lied in the overall power of their team-first approach.

Could this aspect of Utah’s performance turn around like some of the others I mentioned previously? Sure it could. But considering the unfavorable matchups the Thunder present from the get-go, I’d be pretty worried as a Jazz fan about the guys around Mitchell being able to produce enough and provide Mitchell with the necessary help to elevate them to a series victory.

The good news is that aside from Alex Abrines, OKC’s bench did little to contribute to the win, and if the likes of Jae Crowder, Dante Exum and Royce O’Neale can get going a little better, we could see a significant swing in the series. Not only that, but it’s important to note that, although injuries for any team or player are never a desirable sight to behold, Paul George reportedly suffered a hip contusion during the game while Steven Adams hurt his arm.

Neither one will miss time with their varying ailments, but if the injuries serve to slow them down at all, it may help Utah’s supporting cast get going, ideally to the point where rookie Donovan Mitchell won’t have to do it all and the Jazz will use a well-balanced attack to stop the Thunder.

Next: Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell gets a clean bill of health for Game 2

So while the series certainly didn’t get off to the start that Utah Jazz fans, or the team itself, had hoped, it’s not all doom and gloom. Yes, there are some definite reasons for concern that could turn into panic if adjustments aren’t made, but I’m confident that Quin Snyder and Co. will be able to adapt in such a way that they’ll patch up a lot of the holes in their Game 1 performance.

Combine that with all the reasons that I mentioned for optimism, and suddenly the outlook for the series takes a dramatic swing in Utah’s favor. Jazz fans would do well to remember that, despite a disappointing Game 1, it’s still bound to be a long series in which their team can inflict plenty of damage.

Expect OKC’s shooting to go down, Utah’s defense to go up and for the Jazz to bring a renewed energy and focus for Wednesday’s critical Game 2.