Utah Jazz: 3 crazy lineups that could stun the world
By Matt Giles
Crazy Utah Jazz lineup: Giants
- PG: Donovan Mitchell
- SG: Joe Ingles
- SF: Rudy Gay
- PF: Hassan Whiteside
- C: Rudy Gobert
Like clockwork, basketball fads change over time. They’re cyclical. Eventually, as is the case with everything else in this world, the NBA’s gunslinger craze will go out of style.
To get ahead of the times, the Utah Jazz could choose to be a trendsetter next season when it comes to rolling out big men galore on the floor. The average player size of this proposed king-size bunch would be 6-foot-8, 242 pounds.
Yikes.
Not counting Donovan Mitchell, whose top-shelf athleticism and pace-control would mostly make up for any speed deficiencies among the rest, the mean measurements look like this: 6-foot-10, 248 pounds. Plus, the deep offensive toolboxes of Joe Ingles and Rudy Gay would help to guarantee enough perimeter scoring power.
Best of all, though, this collection would feature two 7-footers, each of whom has taken home his fair share of defensive accolades in years past. Rudy Gobert is a three-time and reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside once landed on an All-Defensive Second Team and has twice finished atop the league in total blocks — as recently as 2019-20.
Talk about a giant lockdown in the paint.