With the trade deadline just days away, the Utah Jazz could very well upgrade their backup center role. Here are five different scenarios that should interest them.
We are 49 games into the 2019-20 season, and one area of weakness has been a topic of discussion for the Utah Jazz — the backup center dilemma.
Remember back on June 30th when the Jazz signed Bojan Bogdanovic and Ed Davis? It appeared that they made a slam dunk. While Bogdanovic has given the Jazz everything they have expected and more, Davis has been a different story.
Seen by many as one of the better backup centers in the league, Davis just hasn’t had it as a member of the Jazz. He’s struggled to score, struggled in the pick-and-roll and would eventually lose his position to third-year man Tony Bradley.
Davis, who did suffer a leg injury early on in the season, has averaged just 1.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.7 minutes while shooting 41 percent from the floor. Bradley, meanwhile, is averaging 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 10.3 minutes, shooting 64 percent from the floor.
While Bradley has shown signs of being a legit NBA center, it’s clear that if the Jazz want to make a serious run at a title, they’re going to need an upgrade to back Rudy Gobert.
It seems that every time Gobert exits a game, the opposing teams gets into the paint with ease and goes on a run. Non-Gobert minutes have simply been disastrous for the Jazz this season.
The backup center isn’t the only problem, of course. Upgrading that position won’t guarantee them a title, but it will at the very least make us feel more comfortable when Gobert goes out of the game.
The trade deadline is in two days, so if the Jazz decide that they need to upgrade that position, they’ll have to scour the market and see what’s available. The Jazz have been aggressive this season, already making an in-season trade bringing in Jordan Clarkson from Cleveland.
Despite that aggressiveness, the Jazz aren’t going to rush into anything and make a trade just for the fun of it. Utah has one of the best front offices in the league, so fans should be patient and trust what they are doing.
With all of that being said, I came up with five different backup center scenarios for the Utah Jazz leading up to the trade deadline. Let’s get started, folks!