Even in the context that Minnesota is 14-13 when KAT and Russell both play and Utah was missing Mitchell, I can’t reconcile with the fact that we just lost 2 straight to a team that had yet to win back-to-back games ALL SEASON as well as the fact that we looked completely out-hustled in both games.
The one silver lining I can find, and believe me, I went looking pretty deep is that if Utah is gonna have a bad stretch of play where things need to get ironed out, it’s better to have that happen now as opposed to the playoffs.
However, what makes me nervous about that line of thinking is the fact that Utah hasn’t looked great since just prior to the All Star break. That’s a pretty long stretch to be out of sorts and not only that, it’s coming at a time in which the schedule eased up considerably. When this team was playing the toughest schedule in the league, they looked like world beaters. Now that the schedule has eased up considerably, they look like garbage.
Guys like Lebron, KD, and Steph have shown the ability to flip the switch on and off. I’m not quite sure Mitchell, Gobert, and Conley have earned that trust, or quite honestly, even know where the damn switch is.