Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Keys to beating the Utah Jazz

1.) Contain Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic

Donovan Mitchell is by far the Jazz’s most lethal offensive player, averaging 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He has a variety of ways he can score, whether it be his herky-jerkey craftiness to get to the rim, his ability to pull up from deep in transition, or stop on a dime and throw up a smooth floater. If that wasn’t enough, if all else fails, Mitchell can channel his insane athleticism and throw down a highlight level dunk.

Bojan Bogdanovic is the second part of the Jazz’s offensive gameplan as his shooting and ability to guard multiple positions have been huge for the team. He already has a game-winner under his belt, and is averaging 20.9 points on 47/45/87 shooting splits to boot.

Being able to take some of the offensive load off of Mitchell has allowed him to focus a little more on the defensive end, and Bogdanovic’s off-ball abilities make him one of the best catch and shoot players in the league.

The most difficult thing about guarding these two is that with Mike Conley in the fold as the primary playmaker, these two are free to roam the court, running off pindown screens, and backdoor cuts, while Conley gladly sets them up for easy buckets. To contain these two, the Laker perimeter players need to be vigilant and make sure Mitchell and Bogdanovic don’t get any easy buckets.