Utah Jazz: 3 reasons Rudy Gobert is key to finishing off Grizzlies

The Utah Jazz need a playoff alpha dog in the paint

One knock against the Utah Jazz in the past, especially during the NBA Playoffs, has been that they lack that one player with a dog mentality.

Other teams have had it. For the Jazz, it was Jae Crowder not too long ago. Draymond Green has long been that guy for the Golden State Warriors. And Dillon Brooks is now that guy for the Memphis Grizzlies.

ALSO READ: Why the Jazz should now cruise to the NBA Finals

The tough mentality of the less talented Grizzlies is a large reason that they were able to come out on top in Game 1 of this series, doing so in Salt Lake City. Sure, it also helped that Utah’s two-time All-Star guard, Donovan Mitchell, sat out in that game.

But now, to ensure the series does not linger on and spark nightmares of last year in Utah, it’s important for Gobert to remind himself that he isn’t the gangly rookie he once was. He has hit the gym and worked on his post moves.

As a result, while Gobert continues to do most of his work without the ball in his hands, his improvement when it comes to delivering buckets around the rim is still a large part of the Jazz attack…