Utah Jazz starting lineup: Ranking their projected starting five

No 1. starter for the Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell

If anyone doubts that Donovan Mitchell is not the best player on the Utah Jazz roster right now, take a look at the playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 36.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.0 steals in 37.7 minutes per game.

Mitchell is about to enter his fourth season of NBA basketball. He has never averaged less than 20.5 points per game which was in his rookie season. He has increased his numbers in points, rebounds, and assists in every season he has played.

He is the leader of the offense averaging the most points and being third on the team in assists. It is no wonder the team signed him to a five-year, $163 million deal this offseason, locking him in for the foreseeable future.

Starter No. 2: Rudy Gobert

While Mitchell is the best player on the roster, Rudy Gobert is the best defensive player in Salt Lake City. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, named to the All-Defensive teams four times, and was the 2016-17 NBA blocks leader with 2.6 per game.

With the exception of his rookie year, Gobert has averaged no less than 2.0 blocks per game. He has been the model of consistency for rim protection. He has also averaged a double-double for the past four seasons.

Gobert also has averaged 3.3 offensive rebounds per game for his career, leading to second-chance points on putbacks and dunks. This is the range where Gobert is the most effective, with 39.3 percent of all his shots coming at the rim, but he is unstoppable within three feet.