Utah Jazz: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By KC Whitten
2018-19 roster
Key additions: Grayson Allen (draft)
Key subtractions: Jonas Jerebko (free agency)
As stated earlier, it was a quiet offseason in Salt Lake City. With Grayson Allen the only new face in the locker room, the Jazz enter the 2018-19 season with the same roster as last season.
Though Allen was somewhat of a controversial pick, his style of play will fit well with the identity of the Jazz. He is an aggressive defender who plays with a chip on his shoulder, and has been described as a good teammate. Offensively, he’s comfortable playing with the ball in his hands, and has the potential to develop into a lethal catch-and-shoot player. With the depth at guard in Utah, it’ll be interesting to see if Allen receives consistent minutes throughout the season.
The starting lineup and rotation look to remain the same as last season, though there’s likely to be a change at the wing. With Thabo Sefolosha serving a five-game suspension, Royce O’Neale is likely to replace him in the rotation.
After Sefolosha was lost for the season in January with an MCL injury, O’Neale stepped up and proved to be a capable replacement. He made his biggest impact in the second round of the playoffs against Houston, scoring 17 points twice and averaging 30 minutes per game throughout the series.
Though the current roster is formidable, the Jazz lack a secondary scoring option to Mitchell. Last season Rodney Hood was a solid second option for Utah, averaging nearly 17 points per game. However, since he was traded for Jae Crowder, the Jazz have yet to find a second option offensively. Rudy Gobert (13.5 points per game) and Ricky Rubio (13.1 points per game) are unlikely to exceed their career scoring averages, and Derrick Favors has seen his offensive production decline in recent years.
Management obviously has confidence the current roster will be able to compete for a top spot in the Western Conference. However, if the Jazz start the season like they did last year, it’s possible they move some assets to acquire a secondary scorer.