The Utah Jazz recently had their best offseason in team history. To do that meant going from good players to great ones. Ricky Rubio is one of those good players. He’s already proving his value for the Suns who are now 2-1 including an impressive win over the Clippers.

Mike Conley, the touted guard the Jazz traded for to replace Rubio, had a rough couple games to start the season but looked like he came out of his slump against the Sacramento Kings where he shot a respectable 45% from the field and 33% from three.

The Jazz enter Phoenix in a game that looks like it may be more difficult than in years past. Just another day in the Western Conference. Luckily for Utah they have a lethal Croatian.

Bojan Bogdanovic torched the Kings for 26 points in just 24 minutes. Not only was his outside shot falling, Bogdanovic is surprisingly good at driving to the rim, especially in transition where he finishes plays at a high level.

The Jazz also should come into this game rested. No one on the team had to play more than 25 minutes after the game against the Kings was mostly over halfway through the third quarter.

Game Info

When: 8:00PM MST Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019

Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ

TV: AT&TSN-RM

Radio: 97.5 FM - 1280 AM The Zone

What to watch for

Which version of the Jazz offense will we see?

Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

The first two games of the season, the Jazz have shown their patented lockdown defense. The problem has been the offense. Games 1 and 2 saw the Jazz turn the ball over and miss shots. In their third game against the Kings the Jazz looked like the elite offense everyone was expecting.

We know from the past that it can take time for new players to pick up all the nuances of Quin Snyder’s systems. That may be part of what has been happening to start the year. If that’s the case, there’s reason to believe that the Jazz will be one of the elite teams offensively this season once the system becomes second nature to the players.

The other reason for Jazz fans to get excited? Donovan Mitchell.

In the first 3 games this season, Mitchell has played at an MVP level. He was the main reason the Jazz pulled out an opening night win against the Thunder and looked like the best player on the floor against the Lakers.

We’re looking at a very special season so far for Mitchell, and if he can keep this level of play up, it will be one for the ages. What a difference some space makes!

Mandatory Highlight