The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz Best/Worst Case Series: A tale of two seasons

By John Keeffer

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 11: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives with the ball during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 11: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives with the ball during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 15: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz lays on the floor after an injury during the first half against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on April 15, 2017 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. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 15: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz lays on the floor after an injury during the first half against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on April 15, 2017 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. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Injuries continue to haunt the Jazz

Of any team in the NBA over the last few seasons, the Jazz have had perhaps the worst luck in regards to injury, and the worst case scenario revolves around this issue.

Over the past two seasons, the Jazz have lost a combined 21.9 wins due to injury, per Man Games Lost. They have been tops in the NBA over the last two seasons with impactful players injured.

Last season, even with the difficulties over the first half, the Jazz were still able to claw their way up to the fifth seed, and finished with an impressive 48-34 record. Health was a big part of that turnaround. When Rudy Gobert came back to the team in January, the Jazz were able to stay relatively healthy until the playoff injury to Ricky Rubio.

If the last few seasons are any indication, than health should be the biggest worry of every Jazz fan. Gobert has often struggled with injuries to his lower body because of his size. His knees are very vulnerable, and those issues have caused him to miss 47 regular season games over the last three seasons.

Over the past two seasons, Dante Exum, Derrick Favors, Thabo Sefolosha, Raul Neto and Alec Burks have missed large stretches of time during the regular season. These issues truly make it hard for a team to get into a groove and can disrupt the flow of the team.

Worst case scenario for next season is that the Jazz continue to experience these types of injuries, and perhaps some of their primary guys suffer an injury that causes them to miss a good chunk of the season. This could mess with the continuity that we are so excited about this next season.

The other worst case scenario revolves around certain players who may have played above themselves during last year’s second half explosion.

My main concern is with Ricky Rubio.

No player on the Jazz roster had a larger bell curve than Rubio last season. There were stretches over the first few months of last season where it really felt like the Jazz were going to be forced to bench the Spanish star, and it appeared that they would have to trade him for ten cents on the dollar.

If Rubio isn’t able to replicate his strong second half of last season, and instead plays closer to how he performed in the first half, the Jazz could find themselves in an awkward position. Luckily, if that were to happen, Exum should be healthy and available to play more minutes this season.

Worst case scenario for the Jazz next season is that the injury issues continue for another year, and the strong second half performance isn’t able to be replicated. In a more stacked Western Conference, this would leave the Jazz potentially outside of the playoff picture.

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