Utah Jazz Must Embrace Small Ball

While Rudy Gobert is a better perimeter defender than he’s credited to be, the Utah Jazz still needs to come to terms with the fact that he might not always be deployable against every matchup. In years past, teams have exposed the Jazz’s staunch defense by stretching them out with small-ball lineups and bringing Gobert out to chase shooters around the arc.

This year’s Jazz team has a much more versatile lineup, but that hasn’t always been apparent in their rotations. With both Gobert and Hassan Whiteside on the roster, Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder has been privy to keeping a traditional center rotation regardless of the opponent.

With the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers all in the Western Conference, it won’t exactly be a shocker if the Jazz faces a few small-ball lineups in the postseason this year. And, as a result, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see both Gobert and Whiteside played off of the floor.

Rather than waiting for that to happen, Snyder should counter earlier this postseason with his own small-ball lineups. Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gay, and Eric Paschall all have the builds and agility to counter matchups that feature the likes of Draymond Green, Maxi Kleber, and Marcus Morris at center.

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Playing five shooters and perimeter defenders at once will allow the Jazz to keep up on defense while opening up the floor for Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell to go to work on offense. To capitalize on their chances this postseason, Snyder and the Jazz have to embrace small-ball lineups before they’re forced into them.