Utah Jazz vs. Memphis key matchup: Can Rubio step up and contain Conley?

If the Utah Jazz are to have any hope of toppling the Memphis Grizzlies in Donovan Mitchell’s absence, Ricky Rubio will have to step up against Mike Conley.

Recently here on TheJNotes.com, I wrote about Ricky Rubio‘s early struggles and how they’ve looked eerily similar to his poor start from a year ago. Knowing my track record, my criticisms should cause a cataclysmic shift in the universe that instills Rubio with unmatched power so that he goes off in Friday’s upcoming contest against the Memphis Grizzlies, wills the Utah Jazz to victory and makes me look like a fool for ever doubting him.

It might sound odd, but I really hope he does just that. As bad as Rubio has started out, I obviously don’t wish any ill upon him, and the Jazz desperately need him to step up if they’re going to be anything resembling a force in the Western Conference. That holds more true for this upcoming contest than about any other night, as the Utah Jazz will be without Donovan Mitchell who has suffered a hamstring injury.

In other words, with Mitchell out of action, the Jazz need Rubio, and the rest of the team of course, to step up in a big way if they are to have any chance of arising victorious and doling out some revenge on the Grizz.

One tidbit of good news is that in one of Donovan’s pair of absences last season, Ricky Rubio went off for 34 points against the San Antonio Spurs, which led to a surprising and impressive victory. If Tricky Ricky can find his inner mojo and put up a similar performance this time around, the Jazz may very well be able to steal one from the Grizzlies despite their star’s absence.

However, in the other game that Mitchell missed a year ago, the Jazz were run off the court by the Oklahoma City Thunder by an embarrassing score of 107-79. Let’s hope that’s not the route they go this time around with Donovan sidelined.

To avoid such a result, the game will likely come down to a vital matchup, the one between Ricky Rubio and Memphis Grizzlies point guard extraordinaire Mike Conley. Although some might argue that Marc Gasol is the Grizzlies best and/or most important player, I’m of the opinion that such a distinction belongs to Conley. He’s a crafty and effective point guard that has always been underrated, and he’s off to a good start this season considering how much time he missed a year ago.

The Grizzlies were one of the Association’s worst teams last season, and that was largely due to the absence of Conley who appeared in only 12 games before injury left him sidelined. I don’t know that Memphis will end up as good even as their current 4-2 start, but they’re clearly a much, much better team with Conley healthy and on the floor.

He wasn’t that efficient in the recent win over the Utah Jazz, going just 6-of-20 from the field, but he still managed a solid 23 points to lead all scorers. It will be up to Ricky Rubio to not only shoulder a significant portion of the offensive load with Donovan Mitchell out of commission, but to also hold Conley in check defensively.

Unfortunately, if recent trends continue, it will be a tall task for Rubio to do so. Last time against Memphis, Conley annihilated Rubio in this matchup, as Ricky put up just six points on a horrible 1-of-8 shooting performance. Rubio was also a minus-7 on the evening.

Most recently, Rubio was absolutely picked apart by Minnesota’s Derrick Rose. As My J-Notes colleague Ryan Aston wrote about on Thursday, Rose’s game was one for the ages. He played spectacularly and nothing should be taken away from his incredible performance and effort.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that Rubio’s subpar defense enabled much of Rose’s success. He was a minus-seven on the evening and posted a putrid defensive rating of 111.5. The quick and athletic Derrick Rose simply took advantage of him all evening long as he made his way to 50 total points scored.

So, if you couldn’t tell, I’m feeling less than optimistic about this matchup. Conley is a crafty scorer capable of putting up big numbers and perhaps an even better defender that could very well make it a long night for an already struggling Ricky Rubio. Conley is certainly the favorite in this pairing, so it will take a massive turnaround and a gargantuan effort from Rubio to come out on top and will the Jazz to victory.

However, we have seen it happen before, as on more than one occasion, Rubio has stepped up and had big nights for the Jazz. In fact, he did so just a few days back thanks to a 28-point outpouring against the Dallas Mavericks. So while I don’t particularly like his chances against Conley, or Utah’s chances sans Mitchell, the spectacular has happened before and certainly could happen again.

If it is to happen on Friday night, though, a lot is going to need to fall into place for the Utah Jazz, beginning with Ricky Rubio finding a way to come out on top in a tough matchup against Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley.