3 Utah Jazz players who need to step up in Donovan Mitchell’s absence

The Utah Jazz have been relatively unscathed by injuries this season. Most significantly, they’ve managed to avoid the league’s dreaded health and safety protocols. Royce O’Neale missed a minor amount of time, but Joe Ingles was a readily available replacement.

Unfortunately, the injury bug gets around almost as easily as COVID-19 itself. The Utah Jazz would never avoid it for the entire season, and now, they’re forced to weather a (hopefully) brief absence from Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell is the best offensive player on this team. He’s entirely irreplaceable. Luckily, the Jazz are one of the deepest teams in the National Basketball Association. If anyone can replace Mitchell’s production, it’s the Jazzmen.

Here are 3 members of the team that will hope to do exactly that.

Utah Jazz guard Trent Forrest

Trent Forrest hasn’t seen an abundance of opportunity over his first two years in Salt Lake City. Not that he should have expected them. Undrafted rookies/sophomores on contending NBA teams tend to warm benches until opportunity knocks.

As it stands, it’s knocking loudly for Forrest.

His production has actually decreased between last season’s rookie campaign and 2021-22. Last year, Forrest averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 assists per 75 possessions. This season, those numbers have dipped to 6.1 and 3.5 respectively.

Having said that, extrapolating numbers for low usage players on a per 75 basis can be misleading. Forrest is averaging 7.4 minutes per game: it’s hard to judge him for what he accomplishes in such a short window.

Hopefully, he can do more with a larger one now. The Jazz will have a dire need for playmaking as long as Donovan Mitchell remains on the shelf, and that’s Forrest’s strong suit. If he can capitalize on this opportunity, it could do wonders for his career.