Why the Utah Jazz are no threat whatsoever to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most wins in the NBA alongside the Utah Jazz, who are first place in the Western Conference as they have one fewer loss. With a 20-5 record, Utah looks to be a legitimate threat to the Lakers.

This is especially true with the way the Lakers have been playing as of late. The Lakers are on a six-game winning streak but the wins have been ugly against some subpar teams. This has caused a bit of a concern about how good the Lakers really are.

Personally, I do not think there is anything to be worried about.

While the Jazz are playing really good basketball, they still are no threat to the Los Angeles Lakers in an actual playoff series. Here are three reasons why the Lakers have the advantage.

1. Anthony Davis cooks Rudy Gobert when the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz square off

Rudy Gobert is one of the best defensive centers in the entire league but don’t tell Anthony Davis that. AD cooked Rudy Gobert in their matchups last season and it culminated with a fantastic game from AD in the Orlando bubble.

Davis went right after Gobert in that game, scoring 42 points on 13-28 shooting with 12 rebounds. If you need a refresher in how Davis played in that game, check out the footage below.

In four games against the Jazz last season, Davis averaged 29.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 51.8% from the floor with an offensive rating of 126 and a defensive rating of 90.

It also helps that Gobert is not the biggest offensive presence. Someone such as Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic could cause more headaches if they are going right at AD but Gobert just isn’t that player. Sure, he will get his 13 and 10 per night, but he is not someone who the Lakers really need to be concerned about.