Looking into the crystal ball: Utah Jazz predictions for 2019-20
By Dean Hasan
2. The Jazz have two players named to the All-Star Game
Despite winning Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back years, Rudy Gobert has yet to claim an All-Star spot. This year, expect voters to give him the nod. He has the narrative of being snubbed working in his favor and if he can get his scoring closer to the 18-20 points per game range to compliment his elite rim protection, it’ll be hard to deny him a spot.
Given that he put up 15.9 points per game last season, he’ll just need to convert on a lob or two from Mike Conley per game to get there.
With the ACL injury to Klay Thompson, one of the guard spots that’s been occupied the last five seasons will be available for a new candidate. If the Utah Jazz are performing well and rank near the top of the conference approaching the break, it’ll most certainly be possible for either Donovan Mitchell or Conley to claim a spot.
Similar to Gobert, Conley has the narrative of never being named an All-Star and is commonly cited as the best active player to never be named an All-Star. For him to get the nod, he’ll need to average close to 20 points per game and likely get his assist totals up near the seven or eight per game range.
Conley is a capable facilitator and with the weapons he can feed the rock to, it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
For Mitchell to claim the spot, he’ll more than likely need to score more than 25 points per game. He isn’t the passer that Conley is, so he’ll be competing against the likes of Devin Booker and CJ McCollum in terms of guards that fit his scoring niche. He’ll also have to contend with other guards such as D’Angelo Russell, Luka Doncic and Chris Paul (if he’s still in the West) for that final slot.