Josh Hart is the type of player the Utah Jazz are missing

The Utah Jazz are missing a few key pieces on the team, namely a steady point guard who can guide the team on both sides of the court, their start scorer, and a defensive-minded three-and-D player who can help in every way without needing to be the featured player. Luckily for the Jazz, they may have that point guard in Keyonte George, and whlie he's not there yet, has shown flashes early in his rookie year.

The Jazz have a potential Top-20 player in Lauri Markkanen and while he's out at the moment, with a slightly better roster around him, could be good enough to carry the Jazz to the playoffs for years to come.

But as for the three-and-D guy, while they've tried out Simone Fontecchio and Ochai Abaji at the spots, neither has shown to be that consistent of a shooter or that great of a defender to be that guy, again, yet. They might turn into that guy, but for right now they aren't.

With the Jazz about to play against the New York Knicks tonight, we're reminded of the impact that someone like Josh Hart has on his current team. The Knicks are lucky to have Hard, a guard/forward for the squad who brings defense that head coach Tom Thibodeau absolutely needs. He's able to focus on the best scoring ball-handler on the opposing team, while also being a positive asset for the offense to use if he gets open.

The Jazz had a player like that in Joe Ingles, who guarded the best ball-handler on the opposing team, made his shots at an efficient clip, and could pass the ball very well. His age and injuries caught up with him, and so the Jazz allowed him to go chase a ring and he's playing well right for the Orlando Magic.

But while Ingles has found his form again, the Jazz don't have anyone like Ingles or Hart right now, and that's been a huge issue for the team. The offense seems to play like a kid high on caffeine, making moves that seem jittery and unfocused, while the defense seems like a kid who is coming down off of a caffeine high, lazy, lethargic, and unmotivated.

Guys like Hart help cure those issues. He'll never be the team's best player, but he can add enough consistency on both sides of the court that a team calms down around him. That's a stable hand that the Jazz just don't have right now.