Utah Jazz: 3 ways to build on playoff appearance in 2019-20

1. Adding another piece to the puzzle

The last thing the Jazz will have to focus on this offseason to build off another postseason appearance is adding another piece to the puzzle that is the Utah rotation.

It’s not that there was a ton wrong with the Jazz’s starting five or second unit this season, as was showcased when they were one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the second half of the regular season, but focusing on this ahead of next year will help Utah take the next step in the Western Conference.

Reaching the Western Conference playoffs for three straight seasons is nothing to look down upon, but Utah needs to focus on continuing to build on that core and improving it so that it doesn’t get bounced in one of the first two series — like the Jazz have been the last three years.

There are a few players that Utah could look to add to the rotation who could both boost it offensively and assist the Jazz in an even larger role alongside cornerstone players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

The first player that comes to mind is one who’s been talked about a lot in connection with the Jazz: Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. With Ricky Rubio likely on the outs in Utah and Memphis likely looking to move on from Conley ahead of the upcoming season, the Jazz and Conley seem to be a nice fit for each other.

In his 12th season in 2018-19, Conley averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.5 minutes per game. He could be a nice complementary piece alongside Gobert and Mitchell in the Jazz starting five.

The second player that has had ties to Utah if he indeed hits the open market this offseason is Philadelphia 76ers wing Tobias Harris.

Harris would be a nice wing addition to the starting rotation and would allow Mitchell to move down into the point guard slot and have the ball in his hands more often throughout the course of the year, which we saw to some extent in 2018-19.

In his eighth season, Harris averaged 20.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks in an average of 34.7 minutes per contest. He was a reliable piece on the offensive end of the floor as well, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and just under 40 percent from 3.

Utah will likely be a team we see in the running for a playoff spot once again in 2019-20. The one main key to building off of its third straight postseason appearance a year ago would be to add another key piece to the puzzle this offseason.