Should we bring Rubio from the bench

[KqWIN]

I think it’s a serious consideration. But the more important detail is who else is playing off the bench with Rubio? Who is his PnR man?

I would love to see Donny, Korver, Ingles, Crowder, Gobert play a bit more together so maybe that’s the starting lineup? I see that as a killer lineup with a ton of spacing.

Korver and probably Gobert could get subbed out pretty quick and then Rubio, Donny, Ingles, Crowder, Favs could play a bit. I’m not sure the exact rotation. But if Rubio can handle it, and I think he could, it could work.

IMO, Rubio has much more natural synergy with Favors than Gobert. Rubio has good vision, but he has poor touch on passes and doesn’t always throw them accurate. It’s not optimal to combine that with Gobert’s iffy hands when you have Favors. Favors can catch everything. Exum has better chemistry with Gobert. Hecan create more lobs because he’s a threat at the rim to score and throws more accurate lobs.

Korver is the other player who I think fits well with Rubio. He gets open on his own doesn’t need the ball. He just needs the pass at the right time, and Rubio can deliver. I think Rubio is at his best when he has the ball and the guys off the ball are threatening the defense. Korver is the only perimeter guy on roster who moves without the ball.

Valid points. Maybe start Donny, Royce, Ingles, Crowder, and Gobert. With Rubio, Exum, Korver, and Favs being the main bench guys. That's a nine man rotation. Seems pretty good. And that should be one of the best bench units in the NBA.

I think SoCal is right about Exum and Rubio though. They'll hurt each other on the court because neither provides spacing. Rubio should get the same rotation as Favors, and if he's the right guy to finish he can come back in at the end...but there are lots of options. Korver is situational based on matchups. If there's a place for him to hide on defense, he provides the most offensive value. As far as the other three, it's a weird situation where I think their ranking in ability is the opposite of how I'd rank them in terms of fit.

Although Mitchell and Gobert are dominating, O'Neale has also caught my eye. His mentality has been much different, and that's something that can carryover when we start playing some real teams. He was trying to do too much in the bench unit and I think he believed that he could be a playmaker. When he's playing with Donovan he knows his place and is making the simple play instead. We'll see if the shooting holds up. He was doing really well last year until he made like 1/20, but he is so much more valuable when he plays within himself.

[JazzUte88]

I'm surprised how many people want Rubio starting. He hasn't been shooting well and O'Neale does a good job of providing a few 3's starting right now while winning 6 in a row.

[cojayar]

I'm surprised how many people want Rubio starting. He hasn't been shooting well and O'Neale does a good job of providing a few 3's starting right now while winning 6 in a row.

You seem to remember only the last 6 games against garbagge teams. DM was also not shooting well against good teams.I guess you look more the stats than the actual game.

[Daddy 801]

The only good thing we can take away from Rubio, Exum, and Thabo being out another week is we will have a more accurate sample size this next week to see if Donovan starting at the PG spot can translate versus top tier teams. If the Jazz win three or more out of the next five I think we can say for sure it’s a real thing. Winning two games with the other three being extrely close games and maybe a last minute fluke win for the opposing team could maybe mean it’s also for real. Anything less than that I think proves that the current lineups were just feasting on inferior teams. Time will tell. I’m hoping to see four wins. I don’t think we can beat Portland twice. They seem to go off half the time against the Jazz. And I really hope to see a win against the Nugs. If the Jazz defense is real, that should be a close game.

[SoCalJazzFan]

So, I looked up the Rubio/Exum combo, (2 man lineups NBA.com) and surprisingly they have played 54 mins together. They have an insane 86.3 DRtg and a modest 92.5 Ortg (+6.5 NetRtg). So, defensively they are awesome, which isn't much of a surprise given their willingness to play D and their length. However, as expected, they aren't great on offense together.

There is a lot to love about Rubio. He is a likeable guy, seems to be a good teammate, is selfless on the court, plays hard, etc. He has the ability to shut down some PGs. However, his inability to hit shots at times, over long stretches at times, very much opens the door for Exum to take his place. Given the direction the Jazz need to go in the future (greater need for shooting/scoring and spending money on an All Star level player) and Exum's contract, it would not surprise me at all if Rubio plays somewhere else next season, particularly if Exum and DM continue to show progress and ability to be a lead guard.

[KqWIN]

With Rubio coming back, it's good time to remember. that the solution to are starting lineup issues has been here the whole time, Crowder in for Favors. If you want to stop the slow starts, I suggest using the lineup that has been one of the best lineups in the NBA.

[LesGrossman]

So, I looked up the Rubio/Exum combo, (2 man lineups NBA.com) and surprisingly they have played 54 mins together. They have an insane 86.3 DRtg and a modest 92.5 Ortg (+6.5 NetRtg). So, defensively they are awesome, which isn't much of a surprise given their willingness to play D and their length. However, as expected, they aren't great on offense together.

There is a lot to love about Rubio. He is a likeable guy, seems to be a good teammate, is selfless on the court, plays hard, etc. He has the ability to shut down some PGs. However, his inability to hit shots at times, over long stretches at times, very much opens the door for Exum to take his place. Given the direction the Jazz need to go in the future (greater need for shooting/scoring and spending money on an All Star level player) and Exum's contract, it would not surprise me at all if Rubio plays somewhere else next season, particularly if Exum and DM continue to show progress and ability to be a lead guard.

I can see why you wouldnt trust in Rubio to make his shots consistently (too bad he went out on a game where he started red hot though) however if shooting is the question then Exum isnt the answer either. I dont understand exactly why people ride on the exum bandwagon so much, as he seems to suffer from similar problems Rubio does, but withut the IQ and leadership. Ship Rubio and get a shoot first PG who wouldnt even have to create a lot off the dribble, rather bring up the ball, pass to a wing and go to the short corner. Guy like Dinwiddie may be a better fit than both Rubio and Exum.

[KqWIN]

Exum does have a lot of the same issues as Rubio. Rubio is better shooter when he's willing, but Exum puts more pressure on the defense as a scorer. This wouldn't be a debate in my mind Rubio kept shooting, but he often refuses to shoot and that's a huge liability. We're asking him to take a lot of shots, and the defense is giving them to him, so he's got to be aggressive as a scorer. Unfortunately, that's just not who he is and never will be. Rubio is who he is, and his offensive skillset is the exact opposite of what we need. Exum is still a young, inexperienced player with room to improve. There's at least some hope that he can improve. He's already improved a ton since he's come into the league. But he's got a long way to go.

The dynamic would change if we added another scorer, but that doesn't make the main issue go away. If Rubio and Exum can't make defenses pay for leaving them wide open, we need to find someone else that can. Defense are very conscientious of what types of shots they are conceding these days.

[Dual]

[SoCalJazzFan]

So, I looked up the Rubio/Exum combo, (2 man lineups NBA.com) and surprisingly they have played 54 mins together. They have an insane 86.3 DRtg and a modest 92.5 Ortg (+6.5 NetRtg). So, defensively they are awesome, which isn't much of a surprise given their willingness to play D and their length. However, as expected, they aren't great on offense together.

There is a lot to love about Rubio. He is a likeable guy, seems to be a good teammate, is selfless on the court, plays hard, etc. He has the ability to shut down some PGs. However, his inability to hit shots at times, over long stretches at times, very much opens the door for Exum to take his place. Given the direction the Jazz need to go in the future (greater need for shooting/scoring and spending money on an All Star level player) and Exum's contract, it would not surprise me at all if Rubio plays somewhere else next season, particularly if Exum and DM continue to show progress and ability to be a lead guard.

I can see why you wouldnt trust in Rubio to make his shots consistently (too bad he went out on a game where he started red hot though) however if shooting is the question then Exum isnt the answer either. I dont understand exactly why people ride on the exum bandwagon so much, as he seems to suffer from similar problems Rubio does, but withut the IQ and leadership. Ship Rubio and get a shoot first PG who wouldnt even have to create a lot off the dribble, rather bring up the ball, pass to a wing and go to the short corner. Guy like Dinwiddie may be a better fit than both Rubio and Exum.

I agree that Exum overlaps with Rubio quite a bit. However, I think that the hope is that Exum continues to improve and his contract is considered a bargain this time next year. Exum has roughly two full years of NBA experience considering his injuries, and already can get to the hole at will. Once he starts converting those at the rim shots efficiently, shooting behind the arc even at his current low 30s% will be tolerable (hopefully that would improve too), as we need a taller defensive minded guard to pair with DM. I don't think that the Jazz giving Rubio $15M plus this summer would be the best use of their cap space, either- even if he is the best PG on the team.

[SoCalJazzFan]

This is one of the most recency bias ridden group i've seen

There is a lot of truth to this.

[mark53]

The way the first unit is playing i would certainly at least try it upon his return. You sont have to be married to it. I think we need an upgrade at the 2 guard for it to really work. Like we will see tonight(portland)

[lobishome]

LOL, no post here since he returned.

[Crunch 99]

Rubio always plays hard and never takes a play off, but it felt like he took his energy and aggressiveness to a whole new level in this last game against Denver in his 24 minutes of play. It makes me think he benefited from the time off and rest, and perhaps even from playing a few less minutes. Considering the fact that Rubio turned pro when he was 14 years old, he probably has a heck of lot of professional running miles on those legs, significantly more than the average 28 year old NBA player.

So my crazy suggestion is keep him starting, but now that Exum and Neto are both pretty darn good backups (when playing), consider cutting Rubio's minutes down to 26 mpg or so with the hope of Rubio bringing that extra gear of energy more often, and have Rubio potentially going in to the playoffs a little fresher.

[KqWIN]

Rubio always plays hard and never takes a play off, but it felt like he took his energy and aggressiveness to a whole new level in this last game against Denver in his 24 minutes of play. It makes me think he benefited from the time off and rest, and perhaps even from playing a few less minutes. Considering the fact that Rubio turned pro when he was 14 years old, he probably has a heck of lot of professional running miles on those legs, significantly more than the average 28 year old NBA player.

So my crazy suggestion is keep him starting, but now that Exum and Neto are both pretty darn good backups (when playing), consider cutting Rubio's minutes down to 26 mpg or so with the hope of Rubio bringing that extra gear of energy more often, and have Rubio potentially going in to the playoffs a little fresher.

It’s easy for him to stay aggressive when he’s hitting the shots, but he has to keep it up even if his first few shots don’t go in. He can still be a positive player if he’s being aggressive and missing shots, but he can’t be when he’s turning them down and making it a 4v5.

[zero24gravity]

Rubio always plays hard and never takes a play off, but it felt like he took his energy and aggressiveness to a whole new level in this last game against Denver in his 24 minutes of play. It makes me think he benefited from the time off and rest, and perhaps even from playing a few less minutes. Considering the fact that Rubio turned pro when he was 14 years old, he probably has a heck of lot of professional running miles on those legs, significantly more than the average 28 year old NBA player.

So my crazy suggestion is keep him starting, but now that Exum and Neto are both pretty darn good backups (when playing), consider cutting Rubio's minutes down to 26 mpg or so with the hope of Rubio bringing that extra gear of energy more often, and have Rubio potentially going in to the playoffs a little fresher.

AKA, the Favors rotation mold.

If we keep him, I'm all in on this approach.

[LesGrossman]

I hear the Jazz want to get Conley; that means the departure of Rubio. We'll see what happens and wether hes a better fit. I'm not yet convinced.

[stitches]

I hear the Jazz want to get Conley; that means the departure of Rubio. We'll see what happens and wether hes a better fit. I'm not yet convinced.

If it happens I will miss Rubio. He's slowly won me over. He rarely does anything wrong really(possibly with the exception of turning down shots when he misses several in a row). Very smart player and does every small thing in the game right. With that said I do think Conley is a much better fit.

[LesGrossman]

I hear the Jazz want to get Conley; that means the departure of Rubio. We'll see what happens and wether hes a better fit. I'm not yet convinced.

If it happens I will miss Rubio. He's slowly won me over. He rarely does anything wrong really(possibly with the exception of turning down shots when he misses several in a row). Very smart player and does every small thing in the game right. With that said I do think Conley is a much better fit.

What i mean is, theres more to the game than shooting %. Certain attributes lead to winning games, including non-scouted hustle plays, leadership, communication etc.. I dont knwo how Conley does those things. Purely skill wise he is clearly the better shooter, not nearly the playmaker, about even defensively. Probably better on the ball but not as disruptive when helping out or suddenly showing up in passing lanes, at least i havent been aware of it. In my book its not a clear cut improvement at all.

[dr0welf]

I don't believe the Conley talk. Every year a big name player seems to get tagged to Utah as we are always desperate to get one and it never happens. If ever we were going to actually trade for a big name we wouldn't know until it happened.