The Utah Jazz are hopeful for a third straight playoff run in 2018-19. Let’s take a look at three breakout candidates for the upcoming season.
The Utah Jazz enter the 2018-19 with loads of optimism and high expectations. They have an exciting roster loaded with young talent, with an organization and head coach who are known for developing their roster from within.
Utah struck gold in the 2017 NBA Draft by trading for Donovan Mitchell, who was selected 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets. He became a star late last season, leading the Jazz to the fifth seed in the Western Conference and a significant push in the playoffs.
The roster is in place in Salt Lake City for the Jazz to make another deep playoff run. The team is built around Mitchell, with Rudy Gobert becoming a dominant force in the paint and Ricky Rubio running the point. Rubio had a breakout season last year, with career highs in points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
The Jazz enter this season off two straight second round playoff losses, in which they have a combined 1-7 record. They’ll need breakout performances from the following players to make it to the next level.