The key to a Utah Jazz victory against Sacramento will be slowing the dynamic backcourt duo of Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox.
I recently wrote about how the Sacramento Kings are no longer a team that can be overlooked, so the Utah Jazz can’t afford to do so when the two teams tip-off this evening. The Kings have proved as much so far this season with a surprising 9-8 start. Their young core has made impressive strides this season as they look to refresh their culture and finally get back to winning ways.
No two players have been more impressive this season than Sacramento’s two leading scorers – Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox. Hield has steadily improved each year in the league, and now in year three, he looks like he’s finally settling into the NBA game. He’s putting up 19.2 points per game on awesome shooting splits of 48.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from deep.
Meanwhile, second-year player De’Aaron Fox is having the opposite of a sophomore slump. He’s been absolutely sensational to start out year two in the NBA. He’s putting up 18.2 points per contest on splits of 49.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. Both are willing defenders, proven winners and are going a long way in turning Sacramento’s volatile culture around.
Since Hield and Fox are such crucial parts to the Kings’ impressive run to start the season, their matchup against Utah’s backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio will be vital to the game’s outcome. It’s been an odd start to the year for the Jazz backcourt, as although Mitchell is the leading scorer of the bunch at 20.7 points per contest, his efficiency (or lack thereof) has left much to be desired.
He’s converting on just 41.2 percent of his attempts from the floor and an atrocious 29 percent from deep. As prolific as he can be, until his shooting stroke and decisions get stronger, Mitchell simply won’t be at the full potential the Jazz need him to be.
De'Aaron Fox is so much fun to watch. What a ridiculous pass.
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) November 20, 2018
Cc @sactownroyalty pic.twitter.com/ozuQITdQJG
Meanwhile, though Rubio has shown some encouraging signs of late, he’s still easily been the weakest of these three players as he’s putting up just 12.4 points per game on awful splits of 38.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the perimeter. The Jazz tend to perform as well or as poorly as he does, so they’ll need him to continue to up his game moving forward.
The athleticism and 3-point prowess of both Fox and Hield could very well provide quite the challenge for a Jazz backcourt that has struggled to defend prolific guards so far this season. However, if Utah is to have any hope of coming out on top against an exciting Kings team and returning back to .500 before they head back out on the road, winning this backcourt battle will be crucial.
It’s no secret that De’Aaron Fox and Donovan Mitchell are friends, so seeing the two comparable players go head-to-head will be an absolute thrill. The Jazz really need this win to get back on track, but the Kings are a young and hungry squad that can’t be slept on. Led by their fearless guard combo of Fox and Hield, they’re slowly but surely turning into a force to be reckoned with.
Hopefully, unlike Utah’s recent bouts in Dallas, Philly and Indianapolis, they’ll be up to the task this time around.
The Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings tip-off at 7:00 PM MT within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena.