Utah Jazz: 3 players that will shine in the conference semifinals

3 players that will shine in the Western Conference semifinals as the Utah Jazz faces off against the LA Clippers. 

The No. 1 overall team in the NBA has been waiting patiently for the winner of the LA Clippers/Dallas Mavericks series. As Quin Snyder’s team took care of the Memphis Grizzlies in five games in the first round of the playoffs, the Utah Jazz looks to continue their quest for a championship in the conference semifinals.

Now facing the Clippers, the Jazz will anticipate an intense battle against a championship favorite.

The Jazz may have knocked out the Grizzlies in five games, but the series wasn’t a walk in the park. Oftentimes, the Jazz got exposed by a young and hungry Grizzlies roster. That was very much evident in Game 1 of the series as the Grizzlies took a 1-0 series lead. But once Donovan Mitchell returned to the lineup, the Jazz played their style of basketball where they moved the ball to get a quality look. Their unselfishness oftentimes was too much for the Grizzlies to contain.

Now, Utah has the Clippers ahead of them. A team who had to scrap their way out of the first round in a seven-game series against Dallas. One of the issues the Clippers had was defense. In that case, Mavericks star Luka Doncic averaged 35.7 points per game on 49 percent shooting. Luckily, the Clippers got a boost from Kawhi Leonard’s 45-point effort in Game 6 and the momentum rolled over to a 15 point victory in Game 7 as well.

Being well-rested along with home-court advantage, the Jazz believes they are the favorites to come out of this series alive. Their goal is to take care of business quickly to prepare themselves for a Western Conference Finals appearance. With that being said, there are a few Utah players who will elevate their game tremendously.