Tom Ziller and other SB Nation writers put together their top 100 players in the NBA today and four players from the Utah Jazz made the list.
Included in the list were Rodney Hood, Joe Ingles, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Gobert who came in at No. 17.
Ziller used just two words as to why Gobert was ranked in the top 20, saying, "defense matters."
As for Rubio, who came in at No. 67, Ziller wrote, "Defense and passing are really important skills for a point guard, it turns out."
Ziller's best breakdown of a Jazz player came with Joe Ingles who was ranked No. 82.
"Slow Mo Joe is a cerebral, skilled forward who can shoot and pass quite well. He should take on extra importance with Gordon Hayward gone."
The top-ranked player with local ties was former Weber State guard Damian Lillard who landed at No. 15, while Gordon Hayward was No. 18.
While Ziller and SB Nation were looking at the top players in the NBA, Paul Lukas of ESPN was focusing on the NBA's new alternate uniforms.
Lukas ranked his five best new designs, and Utah's new yellow jerseys cracked the list at No. 5.
"This one seems likely to provoke either a love or hate response in most fans," wrote Lukas. "The feeling here at Uni Watch HQ is that the minimalist design works really well, although it would rank higher on this list if they'd gone with navy or green instead of yellow."
Other links
- Utes and Cougars headed in opposite directions in latest CBS rankings
- Donovan Mitchell ranked a top 100 player for 2021
- Utes move up three spots in latest USA Today 1-130 re-rank
And finally...The newest member of the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving delivered one of the all-time classic interviews on ESPN's First Take, and it's a must-see for basketball fans.