The J-Notes
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Three players the Utah Jazz most need to have a breakout season in 2019-20

By Jared Woodcox

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 7: Donovan Mitchell, Royce O'Neale, and Dante Exum of the Utah Jazz speak during game between Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 7: Donovan Mitchell, Royce O'Neale, and Dante Exum of the Utah Jazz speak during game between Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 22: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Royce O’Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz high five during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets on April 22, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – APRIL 22: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Royce O’Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz high five during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets on April 22, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In order for the Utah Jazz to reach their utmost potential in 2019-20, there are three players in particular from whom they’ll need a major breakout season.

The Utah Jazz are facing the most elevated expectations that they’ve faced since the days of John Stockton, Karl Malone and Jerry Sloan. Sure, they’ve had some good teams in between with the likes of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, and even the squad of Gordon Hayward, George Hill and Rudy Gobert was expected to (and in many ways did) do great things.

But after the incredible rise of Donovan Mitchell, the continued ascent of Rudy Gobert and the ultra-aggressive summer the Jazz pulled off which included adding Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to their ranks, suddenly, just making the playoffs isn’t good enough anymore. This team has its sights set much higher. They fancy themselves as title contenders and are aiming to hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy come year’s end.

Considering the shift of power in the Western Conference, there’s no denying that based on what we know now, the Jazz should be considered among the teams that have a shot at accomplishing such a feat. That’s something that Jazz fans haven’t realistically been able to say for decades. It also doesn’t mean that Utah is the favorite by any means, but they certainly deserve a seat at the title contender table.

And if the Jazz are to truly reach their greatest ceiling, they’re going to need a lot of things to come together during the 2019-20 season, such as luck, health and, perhaps most importantly, key players meeting and exceeding expectations. In other words, the Jazz are in need of breakout performances from several guys in order to turn potential into reality.

Such couldn’t be any truer than it is about three critical Jazzmen in particular. In fact, Utah’s ability to go from solid Western Conference squad to championship contender could very well hinge on the following three players taking massive leaps this upcoming season.

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