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Up next in our annual ranking of the Utah Jazz roster, Ekpe Udoh has been voted 12th. The backup center played some good minutes for the Jazz when Rudy Gobert went down with an injury last year.
His raw stats aren’t anything to write home about, but his advanced stats show you why Dennis Lindsey and Quin Snyder decided to keep him around. His defensive rating of 98, with 4.6 blocks per 100 possessions adds to the defensive identity of Utah. I’m sure it’s demoralizing for opposing teams to know that at any given point in the game Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, or Ekpe Udoh will likely be defending the rim.
He may not get a ton of minutes this year, but Udoh is important to keep around in case guys get hurt. He helps provide the staple of elite rim protection that Quin’s defensive system takes advantage of. I’m glad to have him and his book club back in Salt Lake for another year.
Things have been really interesting these last few rounds. Will the voting continue to remain close?
Poll
Who is the 11th most valuable player on the Utah Jazz roster?
This poll is closed
-
21%
Alec Burks
(145 votes) -
4%
Dante Exum
(29 votes) -
0%
Derrick Favors
(2 votes) -
0%
Donovan Mitchell
(6 votes) -
42%
Grayson Allen
(290 votes) -
1%
Jae Crowder
(8 votes) -
0%
Joe Ingles
(1 vote) -
0%
Ricky Rubio
(0 votes) -
3%
Royce O’Neale
(21 votes) -
0%
Rudy Gobert
(3 votes) -
26%
Thabo Sefolosha
(185 votes)