The Jazz hardly changed from last season, and this results in a very consistent starting five most nights. Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell make up the backcourt, which can be a bit inconsistent shooting at times, but overall this is the duo we are going to get night in and night out. Utah doesn’t have much depth behind these two, and while they traded for Kyle Korver, his role isn’t going to overcome any of these two. Joe Ingles is an under the radar small forward who can shoot the three ball with the best of them, but is also an underrated defender. Ingles continues to log heavy minutes as the starting small forward. Power forward is where we can see some changes as Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder have switched off starting at times this season. For the most part Favors draws the start, as Crowder comes off the bench playing around 30 minutes a night. Rudy Gobert is your big defensive center, who isn’t going anywhere.
The Jazz were one of the NBA’s underdog teams that really made a name for themselves in the Western Conference last season. They did not make many moves in the offseason, and normally they don’t. Donovan Mitchell was edged out for rookie of the year, and will make his return for the sophomore season. Mitchell developed into one heck of a guard, and a true fantasy asset for this team. He gives the Jazz the true scoring threat they need, and everybody plays a part. Ricky Rubio found new life in Utah, and while he did still have some injury issues, Rubio managed to play most of the season, and quite well.
Rubio contributes across the board, and his role will be much of the same. Joe Ingles may not be the sexiest small forward in the game, but is a league leading three point shooter, and does the dirty work. With no real threat behind him, and him being a fan favorite, expect Ingles to continue to produce at a steady pace. Royce O’Neal and Alec Burks will get some run behind Mitchell and Ingles, but fantasy production will vary. These two will also be guys to full in if the injury prone Rubio goes down. Derrick Favors was a name that floated around as potentially leaving, but he is still staying in Utah. This is good news for Utah as the Favors and Rudy Gobert front court is a very good one. Favors and Jae Crowder will split time, but that doesn’t hurt either fantasy value too much. Gobert isn’t much of a scorer, but he is working on that aspect of his game. Rebounding and blocked shots is where he will make all his money, and he is easily a top five defensive player in basketball right now.
