The Utah Jazz are Catching Fire from Ricky Rubio and the 3-point line

By Yash Bhika

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBevyRqn4mU

The 3-point line has become a staple in the modern NBA game. Teams like the Houston Rockets are jacking up 42.8 per game, according to NBA Advanced Stats. The Utah Jazz are currently throw up 29.4 threes a game. Even though the Jazz shoot less threes than the Rockets, they connect on 37.7 percent of them, which ranks them fifth in the league.

The Jazz don’t live and die by the three like the Rockets, but they have players that are capable of knocking down the shot. Ricky Rubio is shooting 32.2 percent from beyond the arc, which is higher than his previous year where he shot 30.6 percent, according to Basketball Reference. Donovan Mitchell, Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles all shoot over 35 percent from the 3-point line.

In the above clip you see Rubio controlling the offense, which he tends to do, but in that video you also see a fully healthy Utah roster. The roster has been plagued with injuries from the likes of Rudy Gobert to start of 2018. The only player, who has been absence for the majority of the Jazz’s six game win streak is Hood, who has been a player Utah has made available in the trade market.

No surprise that the Jazz’s six game win streak correlates with Rubio’s play. Rubio has an average offensive rating of 132.3 over his past six games. Offensive rating measures the amount of points produced by a player per 100 possessions. Utah’s last loss against Atlanta, Rubio put up a mere offensive rating of 49. The Jazz can continue its fine run of form if it continues to shoot 3-pointer efficiently. It will also need Rubio to continue finding players, and hitting his shots to reach the playoffs.