Utah Jazz: 5 can’t-miss games on the 2021-22 schedule

Wednesday, December 15 – Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers

Here, we’re listing 5 matchups that Utah Jazz fans can’t miss during the upcoming NBA season. If we were listing one matchup, it would be the one taking place on December 15 in the Vivint Arena.

This time, the Jazz will be seeking revenge from a recent playoff elimination. In the 2020-21 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, the Clippers eliminated the Jazz in six games. At this point in the offseason, it’s ancient history: the Clippers ran lineups featuring five-out spacing with Nicolas Batum manning the middle, Rudy Gobert was ineffective closing out three-point attempts, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

This year, Utah Jazz fans will be hoping to watch this matchup pan out a little differently, and they’ll have ample reason to do so. This offseason, they’ve acquired both Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall, each a potential countering small-ball 5 that the Jazz lacked in last year’s playoffs.

If the counter is effective, it could force Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to do what he does best: adjust. Nonetheless, it’s difficult to imagine any adjustment Lue could make that doesn’t suit the Jazz: any opportunity to get Rudy Gobert back on the floor is one that Coach Snyder will relish.

Positional versatility is at a premium in today’s NBA, and the Utah Jazz gained a surplus of it in the acquisitions of Gay and Paschall. They’ll have a better idea of whether they have enough after December 15.