Western Conference Darkhorse: The Utah Jazz

Sitting in sixth place with a 28-22 record, the Utah Jazz, now winners of 10 of their last 12, have finally found their stride.

Last campaign, they finished the regular season in fifth place with a 48-34 record and entered the playoffs as the fearless young group of the bunch. They would prove their seeding and record were no fluke as they took it to Oklahoma City and won their first round showdown 4-2, before then losing in the Conference Semi Finals to Houston 4-1.

Each of the last two seasons, the Utah Jazz have very quietly found themselves in the final four of the Western Conference, and it is not insane to say they could very well make it to the semi's yet again with the same style being under the radar and with defensive continuity as their strongest deployed weapon.

They have had their own struggles and had been hovering around .500 for the better part of the season. From sporadic shooting, especially from the 3-point corners where they attempted the most last season, then inconsistencies on defense, they got out of the gates very slow. However, although they have been playing through injuries to rotation guys, mainly Ricky Rubio, they have adjusted their sails and gotten back to what made them the force they became for the latter half of last season and in the postseason.

Defense

Since the turn of the New Year, the Jazz are 9-3. They're only giving up around 103.4 points per game, forcing 11.6 turnovers per game, and have been moving on the same accord as a whole. Clean switches, very active hands, and that overall continuity has seemingly been rediscovered. On the season, they're fourth in the league in defensive rating (104.7), ninth in steals, blocks, and opponents points in the paint, second in opponents fast break points, and are just stingy all around. In a league where offense has clearly taken precedent stylistically and via the whistle, the Jazz are committed to the less glamorous side and deploy their talents on that end as a weapon. Coach Snyder is doing a fantastic job schematically with their defensive coverages as well as being sure that they are on a string on that end.

Offense

Offensively, they have also found their stride as well. On the season, they have been averaging 108.4 ppg. In this recent stretch since the turn of the year, they have gotten that average up to 111.3 ppg. For a defensive-minded team, that uptick in scoring is pivotal. This is in large part due to their Super Sophomore Donovan Mitchell making adjustments to how defenses are game planning against him in his second campaign.

"Spida Mitch"

Seemingly flustered and in a rush, Mitchell was forcing the issue on most accounts early on. Not only was he forcing his hand a little too much, but he was also settling for jumpers far too often. He was essentially turning into the "high volume scorer" that many frown upon in today's NBA. However, through trial by error, he has corrected his approach and refound that delicate balance of attacking the cup (which he's most effective at) and using his jumper to counter that.

Through that, he has also rediscovered his touch from beyond the arch. Amidst shooting a blistering 42.5% from deep on 7.3 attempts per game, he now has five 30-point games in his last nine outings. Even more, since the turn of the year, he has been scoring to the tune of 28.3 ppg. He, alone, is elevating their offensive output. Offensive explosion like this often times results in Player of the Week attention, but with James Harden on the historic tear he's enjoying, Mitchell's successes go unrecognized on that platform.

In the absence of Ricky Rubio (who just came back three games ago) Mitchell was playing a lot more point guard, which was an adjustment. Taking on that role naturally spiked his usage rate, and although this was tough for him initially, it presented a unique opportunity allowing for the ball to be in his hands a lot more, forcing him to rediscover that delicate touch. Needless to say, based on those numbers, it was a blessing in disguise.

Aside from his great finishing ability here, watch for his patience time and time again in the pick and roll. Not only was active scoring but he exploited the non-existent hedges from the Lakers' big men and used it to his advantage time and time again. He is becoming well-rounded and learning when to use his mid-range pull up as well (the tutelage and influence of working out with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Paul George is obvious when watching him play.)

On the season, he's only averaging 3.8 apg. Yet in this aforementioned stretch since the turn of the calendar, he is averaging 5.1 assists a night. He's fully embracing his ball handling duties and showing plenty of poise in the pick and roll as a distributor, as well as patience in the cushion after he blows past the initial defender. It is in these scenarios where he reminds me so much of Dwyane Wade. However, even Wade himself has said that Mitch is far more skilled and developed than he was in his second season. Great sentiments from a player that Mitchell is a mentee to.

As he continues to grow and learn how to capitalize on his paint touches, so will this team's offense and ceiling.

Rudy Gobert

The man in the middle is another player that has been more active in the New Year for the Jazz as well. The reigning defensive player of the year is known as the best rim protector in the game, and he is getting 2.2 bpg during this stretch as well as grabbing 2 more rebounds per game (now 15.0 rpg) and a steal per game as well. Thursday night he matched up with an MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic, and his activity defensively and on the glass played a huge role in his team securing an all important win against a team ahead of them in the standings.

His activity in this one flustered the seemingly unguardable Jokic. His length alone is enough to stifle offensive-minded big men. His continued efforts on that end will continue to keep them in the playoff race as seeding begins to materialize.

Their X Factor

One last player, who has struggled of late but has been their glue guy and vitaly important, is Joe Ingles. He often times impacts the game in ways that don't show up in the boxscore. Of late, he has been getting different looks as far as the spots he shoots from due to the injuries they have had at point guard. Ingles has been shooting off the dribble and in scenarios similar to that, and that has thrown off his shooting numbers across the board. However, his versatility and natural feel to having the ball in his hand to make plays has helped to make him their swiss army knife (although you could say they have two including Jae Crowder). Joe just gets it done. He is a baller. Whether it is getting under the skin of a Draymond Green, blowing kisses to fans, or hyping up their super sophomore Donovan Mitchell, the Australian wing does all the little things you could ask for from a role player. As they get healthy and he returns to his secondary/tertiary playmaker role, expect for his shot to fall (as it did last night vs Denver) and for his defense and overall impact to progress back to the mean. His name will be heard more and more as we approach the playoffs.

One Last Thing

The Jazz have been playing great basketball of late, but as possessions grow more and more important, the need for players that can make an impact in multiple facets of the game grows as well. I expect for them to be active as a major buyer in the trade market ahead of the Feb. 7th deadline. They are a team that is one piece short of being able to truly cement their status as a conference finals contender in the West. Being a franchise in one of the smallest markets in the league, the trade deadline (along with the NBA Draft) is the most effective plan of attack for them to address roster needs and roster build in general.

Here is a list of players that they could realistically target to strengthen their roster and how they could help them.

Jabari Parker

This would be a cop out option of they strike out on their other small ball 4 or wing targets, but attaining Parker and giving him a change of scenery could prove fruitful for them. He would provide shot creating ability to the second unit and could potentially start next to Gobert, giving their starting line-up a fresh look. He has not been particularly good defensively, but surrounding him with able bodied, proactive, high iq defenders would likely mask that issue rather effectively. He could find a second home in a sixth man role in Utah.

Otto Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. is seen as one of the prototypical 3 and D wing. He is a big body, a viable name, an elite 3-point shooter, and solid defender who could be even better in the right system (i.e paired with a good defender at the point, solid defenders on the wing in combination with him, and good rim protector). He would be allow them to more effectively play small ball sharing the frontcourt yet spacing the floor next to Gobert, fit right into coach Quinn Snyders system lighting up the corners from three, be able to alleviate Mitchell and create shots for himself and others, as well as help Ingles and Crowder defensively on the wing. Porter is on a hefty contract (thanks to Brooklyn for running that up on Washington), but as mentioned before, they are in position to make moves like this because the likelihood of them attracting max level talent is slim to none given their market size.

Mike Conley

The still fleet-footed Mike Conley would fit in Utah perfectly for many reasons. He possesses the scoring ability, scoring threat, and off ball ability that Ricky Rubio lacks, would provide great nostalgia in being yet another solid pick and roll combination with Gobert, would bring solid defense not unlike Rubio, and would also bring a new level of leadership and accountability to this youthful Jazz team. Conley putting his finger prints all over this team and bringing a little grit n' grind to Utah would be very fitting. His defensive efforts at the point of attack would be just beneficial as his jump shot would be complementary to their offense. It is essentially a match made in heaven outside of his contract situation where he is due $30 million this season and even more in the upcoming seasons. It is a lot of money to commit to an older player, but the ways he would impact this team would be invaluable.

Tobias Harris

Tobias is the dream scenario player the Jazz would like to get. The aforementioned players have been rumored to be available, but Tobias, at least so far, has not been made available as the Clippers are fringe playoff contenders. Harris is very quietly having an all star calibur season and is also on the cusp of joining the illustrious and legendary 50-40-90 club, he is currently sporting a shooting slash of 50.1-43.7-88.4 while scoring 21.0 ppg. He would be the perfect floor spacing 4 to pair with Gobert and be their secondary scorer. Attaining him, at least via trade at the moment, is far-fetched but they may have a shot at him this summer in free agency.

Excluding attaining Jabari Parker, the other three players would take a combination of Ricky Rubio (who is on an expiring contract worth roughly $15M), Derrick Favors (2 yr/16.9M), and a sweetener-type asset like Dante Exum (who would be enticing for the Grizzlies to start over young) or even rookie Grayson Allen. Rubio and Favors gets Utah to roughly a combined $32M in salary to send out for any player they target, this alone is a good conversation starter for the teams they would be in contact with. It will be interesting to see exactly how they approach the deadline and whether they decide to make a play for one of the names mentioned.

In All

The Jazz are expected to be a force for years to come, adding one of these players via trade combined with the continued growth of the teams top two, as well as the consistent help from the rest of their rotation will surely keep the Jazz in contention. Time will tell, but the Jazz are well on their way to becoming something very special.

Feel free to interact with me on Twitter @StayTrueSdot3 about the Jazz, or basketball in general. All dialogue is appreciated

*All stats used come directly from nba.com/stats or basketball-reference.com unless stated otherwise and are accurate entering play on January 26th, 2019.*