After ten long years, the Utah Jazz Point Guard curse is finally broken

The Utah Jazz of the past year can be defined by a few simple features. A well-run organization, a respected coach, a passionate fan and … a lifelong supply of temporary, disappointing average point guards.

The Utah Jazz franchise was used to having a steady hand on the point guard. From 1980 to 2003, the Jazz had only two starting PGs (unless a rare injury required a reserve to make a strange start). It’s 23 seasons in a row with only one change at the starting point guard. Rickey Green started six consecutive years before handing over power to John Stockton. Thereafter, the position belonged to Stockton. We can also name the position after him. He has played 82 games in 17 of his 19 seasons. He has led the league 9 times. He was a mainstay in All Star and All-NBA teams. John Stockton was the ultimate constant point guard.

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The standard has been set for future Jazz point guards. Stockton’s career is an unfair measure to compare to future players, but it prevents Jazz fans from doing just that. This team is one that expects excellence from its points guards.

After John’s retirement, there were only two quick seasons of uncertainty over who would handle the job before the Jazz set up their next franchise point guard, Deron Williams.

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Deron Williams won the starting lineup halfway through his rookie season. An impressive achievement considering the reputation of Jerry Sloan in earning young players. D-Will thrived in that role for the next five and a half seasons. Williams led the team to the playoffs four years in a row, including a Western Conference final. He was an All Star and All-NBA player, an Olympic gold medalist.

He was also unhappy with the team and the coaching staff. Jerry Sloan and D-Will regularly bumped heads, and Williams decided he would leave the team as a free agency. He notified the team of the decision, and on February 23, 2011, the Utah Jazz made one of the most influential moves in franchise history. Deron Williams was traded from the Utah Jazz to the New Jersey Nets.

Since that fateful day, the position of the Utah Jazz starting point guard has been cursed in many minds. There were a total of 14 different players who would start at least one game on the Jazz standings from then until today. The players are:

Some were solid veterans. Some were smart backups. Some were a big lottery, full of potential. Some were shooting guards and took the necessity out of necessity. No matter who they were, no one could hold the position for long. Ricky Rubio was the Jazz’s starting point guard for two full seasons, and it was the best stability the position has experienced over nine years. Ricky was a solid player, and undoubtedly contributed a lot to those terrifying Jazz teams. But he was never enough. He was not the game-changing point guard the Jazz needed. Utah’s front office knew an upgrade was needed. So they passed Mike Conley, a true floor general at the highest level.

Optimism was rife among the fanbase. The team looked like on paper it was complete. The Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell couple in the backfield looked like a perfect fit. Would this be the season when the curse was finally broken?

In Mike’s first match with a Jazz uniform, he could not take a breather. its patented driver would not fall. His three-point shot was dropping. Conley won 1-16 in that game and scored 5 points. This was the beginning of a rough season for Mike. After achieving his career numbers during his final season in Memphis, he was unable to get to that level for much of his debut season with the Jazz. Whether it was injuries, a change of scenery, a new system, new teammates or simply his age, it seems the Jazz points curse has taken its latest victim.

However, there is an important remark to make here. If you look at the 2019-20 season of Conley as a whole, you will definitely see a downward year. The worst year of his best time. But if you look at it with a certain context, you will see that there was a turning point. After Conley fully recovered from an injury, and no longer in a few minutes, his game changed drastically. He seems to be figuring out how to fit in next to Donovan Mitchell and the rest of his new teammates. His three-point shot became his weapon, and it was dangerous. This game continued into the playoffs. Down in the Disney Bubble, Mike lit the nets. He yielded nearly 20 points per game to agree with five assistants and 42.9% three-point shooting. The Jazz eventually shot too short, but Jazz fans began to wonder, do they have a truly reliable point guard?

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Well, now the 2020-21 season has started, and through 5 games, Conley has been tremendous. It’s not just the stats he compiles, though they’s fantastic (21.4 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds per game). This is something you can see. When he dances around a Rudy Gobert screen to get himself a wide open try, you see it. If he weaves through the defense and throws a bullet-pass to Derrick Favors for a dunk, you see it. If he moves from the ball to the corner and hits a three-pointer, you see it. You may see something tangible that you could not do last year.

You can feel it too. It’s a sense of confidence when the ball is in his hands and the game clock is ticking. A sense of stability as he looks back into play after a break. He is ultimately the true point guard and floor general of this team.

Mike Conley has found his rhythm with the Utah Jazz, and there is no curse in its path.