I think the Jazz are still a work in progress. The issue we have now is the issue that was pointed out during the first 5 - 10 games of the season. The Jazz have more shooters/scorers this season, but it's come at the expense of size, athleticism and toughness that helped make our defense top of the league. One immediate stat where it shows is in our rebounding. The Nuggets had a +8 rebound advantage, and the Blazers had a +13 rebound advantage. The Nuggets were even playing without Millsap and Plumlee. Even the depleted Rockets had a +2 rebound advantage without Capella.
I think it's okay to put a lineup out there with Conley and Mitchell playing the guard spots, or even a three-guard lineup with Conley, Mitchell and Clarkson with the 2nd unit. However, if that's the case, the guys at the 4 and 5 need to defend, fill space defensively and go hard to the boards to compensate. Niang and Ed Davis haven't been up to that task. It's asking an awful lot of Royce to be our primary perimeter defender and then also a primary rebounder. This is why the Warriors have energy bigs like Draymond and Kevon Looney, and why the Rockets relied so much on guys like Trevor Ariza and PJ Tucker to compensate for their lack of size on the perimeter.
Plain and simple, the Jazz need more size, toughness, energy and defense from the backup 4/5 spots. Rudy singlehandedly holds down the fort for the starting unit, but the minute he goes off the court, we're at a disadvantage.