The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Four players I’m most looking forward to watching this season

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz and Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz move up the court during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Man
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz and Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz move up the court during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Man /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 23: Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz looks to pass during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 23, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 23: Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz looks to pass during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 23, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

Ricky Rubio

This one may come as a surprise to some people as Ricky Rubio isn’t exactly one of the team’s young guns and we’ve likely already seen pretty close to his ceiling. However, when he played at that ceiling, which he was able to for the latter part of the 2017-18 season, he was impeccable. Rubio had a hard time finding a groove during his start with the Jazz, but once things finally clicked, he was one of Utah’s most important players.

And the reason I’m so excited to watch him next year is to see if he can keep up that incredible level of play that he exhibited during Utah’s impressive late season run. He went from one of the weakest links on the team to the glue that bound the Jazz together seamlessly.

The Jazz have seen major improvements out of guys even when they’re older (such as Joe Ingles) so it’s within reason to expect Rubio’s shooting to continue to improve, making him a solid floor general and a daunting threat on the offensive end.

In order to finish among the elite in the West, the Jazz will need to not just match their performances from the second half of last season, but they’ll need to all improve dramatically. That perhaps rings truer for no other Jazzman like it does for Rubio. His ability to remain as effective as he was to close out last year could determine the nature of the Jazz offense and their ability to compete in the West.

Seeing if he can put together a spectacular 82-game season will be absolutely exhilarating to behold.

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