2021 Utah Jazz Depth Chart
| # | # | # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard |  Mike Conley | 10 | ||||
| Shooting Guard |  Donovan Mitchell | 45 |  Jordan Clarkson | 0 |  Miye Oni | 24 |
| Small Forward |  Bojan Bogdanovic | 44 |  Joe Ingles | 2 | ||
| Power Forward |  Royce O'Neale | 23 |  Ersan Ilyasova | 77 |  Georges Niang | 31 |
| Center |  Rudy Gobert | 27 |  Derrick Favors | 22 |  Udoka Azubuike | 20 |
After finishing 48-34 last season and fifth in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz will look to recover from their devastating loss to the Rockets in the second round and build off a very strong season where they had the league’s second-best defense. Donovan Mitchell was one of the biggest stories of the 2020 season after being the 13th overall pick in the draft. After showing out in the Summer League last season, Mitchell helped carry the Jazz through the playoffs despite injuries to multiple players throughout the season. The Jazz will need Mitchell to continue to grow and to stay healthy if they wish to remain competitive in a tough Western Conference but their depth and excellent coaching staff will play a huge part in that as well. The Jazz had a limited cap situation in the offseason which kept them from making a splash in free agency but they did manage to retain Derrick Favors who played a big part in their success over the past two seasons. Having an identical starting lineup to last season, and mostly the same bench, consistency will also play a big role in their success this season.
The depth of the Utah Jazz at every position is a major strength for them as they head into this season That starts with Ricky Rubio at point guard who is healthy once again after missing several games in the playoffs. Rubio is coming off a career-high 13.1 points per game last season and a career-low 5.3 assists for the Jazz but with an electrifying talent like Donovan Mitchell running a lot of the offense, Rubio’s skills as a passer and assist man aren’t needed as much as they were in Minnesota. He shot a career-best 35.2 percent from three-point range and provided the Jazz with an excellent scoring option alongside Mitchell. Dante Exum will lead the second-unit behind Ricky Rubio and will look to build off a solid playoff performance in the playoffs where he averaged 5.1 points on 48.8 percent shooting in the playoffs, while Raul Neto is likely the odd-man out at the position.
Mitchell will once again start alongside Rubio and handle the bulk of the offense. Mitchell projects to play about 33-35 minutes per night this season which will leave very few minutes for anyone off the bench but the Jazz has a wealth of options to consider at his position when he is on the bench. Alec Burks will likely get the first shot at minutes behind Mitchell but that may not last very long. Burks has shown flashes over the past few seasons but has yet to really put things together and find ways to contribute on both ends of the floor. They drafted Grayson Allen in the first round of the draft and he is another option for them at the position but the name to keep an eye on is Royce O’Neale. O’Neale is listed as a small forward but spent 39 percent of his minutes at the SG position last season and brings an excellent combination of scoring and on-ball defense to the floor.
Joe Ingles has played in all 82 games in each of his last two seasons, including starting 81 last season and brings consistency and scoring to another strong position for the Jazz. He will once again start at the small forward position for the Jazz and provides excellent three-point shooting. He has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league over the past two seasons, connecting on 44 percent of attempts each year. The aforementioned Royce O’Neale will get minutes behind Ingles at times but they also have defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha that will play minutes there. Derrick Favors will be back for another year in a Jazz uniform and will provide the Jazz with stability in the paint after playing in 77 games last season. The Jazz will not have to worry about minutes behind Favors as they have the talented Jae Crowder backing him up. Crowder was acquired late last season and was invaluable to the team in the playoffs. Once again, the Jazz is deep at the center position headlined by the Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. Gobert will look to stay healthy after playing in just 56 games last year but their depth at the power forward position, and having a capable backup in Ekpe Udoh, provides the Jazz with a safety net if he is unable to stay healthy all season.