Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason
By Mason McFee
1. The Jazz are betting against the injury bug
Rudy Gobert missed 26 games during the regular season. The Jazz finished with a record of 48-34. Ricky Rubio missed the entire series against Houston. The Jazz still took one game in the five-game series.
Those numbers could be anomalies. They could be the norm. Utah is hoping for the former.
Rubio does have a concerning injury history and Gobert’s list is staring to get there. That doesn’t mean the trend’s going to continue.
While I feel like a broken record at this point, Utah isn’t supposed to be here. Rubio is known for his passing ability, not his 3-point shooting. He still shot 35.2 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts per game last year, both career highs.
Joe Ingles is known for his 3-point shooting, but was one-tenth of a percentage point from tying his career high from beyond the arc this past season. He did that while also averaging 4.8 assists per game, both a career high and second-best on the team. So much for being a one-dimensional shooter.
This team is good. They jell. They like each other. They play for each other. They have one of the best coaches in the league, and a stable front office. At the end of the day, the NBA is a business and all front offices can do is put their team in the best position by putting out the best product possible. In the Jazz’s case, they felt they could accomplish that by running it back.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Time will tell if Rubio and Gobert miss any more substantial time, but for now, they’re healthy, hungry and ready to get back on the court.