Outsider’s Perspective: Questions with The J-Notes’ editor Ryan Aston

The last time the New Orleans Pelicans faced the Utah Jazz, two events of remembrance took place. Anthony Davis sustained a scary groin injury, and Donovan Mitchell had a scary performance. Without AD’s injury and Mitchell’s “40 piece” the Pelicans probably leave Utah with a victory. A month later, the Pelicans are back in Utah and trying to end a disappointing two-game losing streak. To learn more about the Jazz before Wednesday’s matchup we hit up The J-Notes’s co-editor Ryan Aston. Enjoy our latest installment of Outsider’s Perspective.

1. The Utah Jazz are currently sitting at 10th in a tight Western Conference. Their season has been mixed with surprises, disappointments, and a few injuries. What are your thoughts on the Jazz’ current standing in the West?

December was brutal and the team’s win/loss record reflects that. The Jazz played 15 games during the month, nine were on the road and only ONE game was against a non-playoff team. We’re talking bouts with the Warriors, the Rockets twice, the Cavs twice, the Spurs, the Celtics, the Wizards, two against OKC; I could go on. It was the worst schedule I’ve ever seen the team face in a particular month and they faced it largely without their best player in Rudy Gobert.

Now’s the time to catch-up and they have the ability to get some wins and get back above water, but they have to get healthy and they have to get back to guarding at an elite level.

2. It feels like Donavan Mitchell’s 41 point game against the Pelicans a month ago is what put him on the map nationally. Is that a fair statement? There’re a nice amount of talented shooting guards in the NBA. Not many can play both ends of the floor like Mitchell however. How good can he be?

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for sure. Folks in Jazzland were pretty amped in short order, but since that game, Mitchell has emerged on the national stage.

After summer league, I thought he could be a Steve Francis-type. People in Utah jumped to Damian Lillard comparisons. Now, the big name is Dwyane Wade.

All of this is extremely unfair to Mitchell, of course, but he’s done little to derail the hype train. We’ve yet to reach midseason and he’s already Utah’s most dynamic offensive player and a plus defender.

LeBron James said it best —

3. Who/What is to blame when it comes to Ricky Rubio’s struggles? We try not to make too much of the preseason but he appeared to be on the cusp of a really good season.

There are a lot of factors in play with Ricky Rubio. First of all, there’s been no space on the floor when Rubio, Gobert and Derrick Favors share the floor. That three-man crew, largely considered the team’s best players entering the season, has a net rating of minus-17.

You can get away with Rubio’s lack of shooting when he’s paired with an offensive player like Karl-Anthony Towns, but Gobert’s game is totally different. He’s really effective on the roll, but that’s mitigated when the point guard isn’t a threat to score from the perimeter. And Gobert isn’t going to pop out and bang down Js anytime soon.

It’s just been an odd fit offensively.

Quin Snyder is also giving Rubio more freedom to be aggressive offensively than he ever enjoyed in Minnesota — his usage rate is at an all-time high — but a lot of the shots the Jazz offense is generating for him aren’t ones he’s been able to capitalize on historically.

But we can’t just blame the system. At some point, he has to make shots. He’ll never be Reggie Miller coming off the curl, but the Jazz would gladly take Reggie Jackson numbers.

Rubio has also been pretty careless on the pass for much of the year, although he’s been cleaning that up recently.

In any event, the Jazz still seem committed to Rubio and he’s as intent as anyone on improving the situation. Stay tuned.

4. What’s the biggest misconception about the Utah Jazz this season?

The biggest misconception about the Jazz right now is that this is a lost season. Making the playoffs is going to be tough, but we knew they would be in a hole to start the new year. Things could get a lot better in the coming weeks.

The schedule is about to get more friendly and the team will likely be very active at the trade deadline. If they can get some help there, actually get healthy for a change and continue to ride Mitchell, they can still make it happen.

There are a lot of ifs there, but there’s a method to the madness.

5. Outside Perspective on the Pelicans?

I liked the Pels coming into the season. They have the talent to capture a middle playoff seed, but I’m not sure that I love the roster composition and the West is crazy. If everyone is healthy, there’s not a lot of separation from No. 5 to No. 10 in the conference.

New Orleans could finish almost anywhere in that range if you ask me.

I wonder about DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. On/off numbers will tell you that the Pels are better when they’re on the bench — that’s not good, especially in Cousins’ case. Still, he’s having an incredible individual season and I liked the swing-for-the-fences move to acquire him last February.

But if NOLA can’t break through this year, they’ll have some big decisions to make this summer.

Next: Should The Pelicans Try And Orchestrate A Trade For Stanley Johnson?

That’s a wrap for our time with Ryan. Be on the lookout for a handful of questions we answered as well. Follow Ryan @RoundballRuckus and the Jazz @TheJNotes and follow us @PelicanDebrief. Thanks for reading!