Utah Jazz: Rubio injury could leave team PG-less once again

 Utah Jazz point-man Ricky Rubio could be joining several of his backcourt mates on the shelf thanks to a nagging hip injury.

We’ve said it before here on The J-Notes and I’ll say it again now because, as ever, it continues to be the truth. There are three certainties in life — death, taxes and the Utah Jazz battling a perpetual onslaught of injuries.

Most recently, it’s the team’s point guard position that’s ailing (again). The latest domino to fall in Utah’s banged-up backcourt: starter Ricky Rubio.

Per the team’s most recent injury report, Rubio is doubtful to play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The 28-year-old is battling left hip tightness; if he can’t suit up, the Jazz will enter the game without a healthy point guard on the roster for the seventh time this season.

Back-up Dante Exum continues to nurse a left ankle sprain/bone bruise, while Raul Neto has left hamstring tightness.

Thus far, the Jazz have handled not having a regular floor general on the active roster pretty well. They’re 6-0 in such games to date, with their most recent win coming at the Denver Nuggets, on the wrong side of a back-to-back, last week.

Donovan Mitchell was responsible for initiating offense that night and responded to the tune of 24 points, eight boards, five assists and four 3-pointers made.

That’s a lot better than Rubio has done running point recently. Over his last three games, his shooting percentages have hit the 20s and the Jazz have been 26 points per 100 possessions better with him off of the floor.

Also — the Jazz’s starting five with Mitchell assuming Rubio’s position and Royce O’Neale moving into the shooting guard spot boasts a net rating of 8.8 thanks to a high-level defense. If you go one step further and swap Jae Crowder in for Derrick Favors, that number shoots up over 22, making it the Jazz’s second-most effective unit overall (and best defensively) among heavy-use lineups.

In this instance, though, there’s a chance the Jazz could use all the help they can get at the one spot.

Mitchell’s opposite on the Grizzlies — would-be Jazz trade target Mike Conley — has averaged 21.3 points per game and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of seven to one against Utah over the last three years.

The Jazz have managed to hold Conley to 40 percent shooting and 31 percent from distance in those games, but the Grizzlies have won five of the seven contests in question. They’ve won two out of three games against the Jazz this season, too.

From a depth standpoint alone, an absentee Rubio could spell trouble for the Jazz, his recent woes notwithstanding.