NBA Power Rankings: What exactly is wrong with the Clippers?

21. Utah Jazz

Sunday’s win over the Magic was the Jazz’s first road win of the season. And to hear them say it, they needed it.

“It’s nice to see some of the work and the emphasis that we’ve been doing begin to show some results,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, per the Salt Lake City Tribune. “I think our team earned the right to play well tonight.”

Valid concerns about this group, though, still remain. With Rudy Gobert out, can they continue to play the type of team defense they did against the Magic? Can Ricky Rubio handle everything he’s going to have to do in terms of scoring and creating for others? Is a Donovan Mitchell regression coming because all rookies have them and he has yet to?

The schedule, at least, could help the Jazz settle into something of a rhythm. Games against the 76ers and Bucks are winnable, even if both opponents have players the Jazz are going to struggle with. But a mid-week game against the Bulls, a team with almost nothing going for it, is a chance to get something going to build off of in a winnable game. For a team that has already been through a lot this year, and is missing their best and most important player, some consistency would be a good thing.