Utah Jazz minutia: A by-the-numbers look at the 2017-18 season
By Ryan Aston
27.4: Points per 100 possessions that the Jazz’s five-man lineup of Ricky Rubio-Mitchell-Ingles-Jae Crowder-Gobert outscored opponents, which was the No.1 net rating in the NBA for groups that played at least 150 minutes together. DEATH LINEUP.
32: The number of times Ingles led the Jazz in assists; only Rubio did it more with 37. I can’t stress it enough — he may not be the prototypical basketball star, but Slow-Mo’ Joe is undoubtedly key in fueling the Jazz machine.
34: The number of wins (in 41 games) the Jazz captured when keeping their opponents under 100 points. Given that the team is built to accomplish that exact goal, that should bode well for Quin Snyder’s crew going forward.
41: Mitchell’s season-high scoring total, which came on December 1 against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. He led Utah back from a 16-point deficit in the game. If you didn’t know he was real then, you weren’t watching.
42: Rubio’s left corner 3-point percentage, which is nothing to sneeze at despite his rep as a total non-threat from deep. The 2017-18 season was by far his best shooting year and could be a sign of things to come.
46: The number of 20-plus point games Mitchell notched during his rookie season. Expect that number to be higher next season.
47: From an early-December bout with the Washington Wizards, the largest lead the Jazz would amass throughout the year. It was also the team’s largest margin of victory. What a game.
56: The number of games it took for the Stifle Tower to convince voters he was the best defender in the NBA in ‘18-19. Imagine what would happen if we could get a full 82!
61: The number of wins the Jazz may have accrued had they remained healthy, according to Man Games Lost, which estimated that the team lost 12.9 wins to injury last season.