3 ways new point guard group will benefit Utah Jazz

2. Boosting an already stellar defensive squad

One thing that has been a constant strength for Utah over the last handful of seasons has been its stellar defense.

Over the last few years, especially during their run of three straight postseason appearances, the Jazz have been one of the top teams in the entire league on the defensive side of the floor, ranking in the top five in the NBA in multiple statistical categories during that span.

During the 2018-19 campaign, that was the case once again. Utah carried a defensive rating of 105.7, which ranked second among the 30 teams in the league. The Jazz also allowed opponents to score 106.5 points per game on average, which ranked fourth in the NBA.

When it comes to the new additions that Utah has incorporated into its rotation ahead of the upcoming regular season, Utah being a stifling defensive team will likely be the case once again in 2018-19.

Along with their abilities to lead a team on the offensive end of the floor, Mike Conley and Emmanuel Mudiay will help boost the Jazz’s defense too.

When it comes to Conley, he carried a defensive rating of 111 a year ago, also tallying 2.3 Defensive Wins Shares and averaging 1.3 steals per game. Mudiay held a defensive rating of 116 with the New York Knicks, recording 0.7 Defensive Wins Shares.

Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto were a pair of point guards that were solid on the defensive end during their time with the Jazz, and although it was important for Utah to go out and get a pair of point guards that could help offensively, it is equally as important that Conley and Mudiay (mostly Conley) will be able to continue to boost them on defense as well.