Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets signals a play as he ran across the court.
Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets signals a play as he ran across the court.

The recent back-to-back losses have unraveled an urgent void the Utah Jazz has to fill.

Things have not gone down well for the Jazz this week as the team suffered two humiliating defeats against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets respectively.

Addressing his squad’s poor performance, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder Put an emphasis on the lack of communication and depth on the defensive end.

“We just had multiple breakdowns over the course of the game, in different capacities, defensively,” Snyder told Deseret.com after the Jazz’s 116-111 loss to the Rockets. “We were helping when we shouldn’t have been helping, not recognizing personnel situations, not focused on the details of what we’re trying to do on the defensive end.”

“We weren’t communicating and reacting collectively,” he added. “We had breakdowns and you’ve got guys that we are not supposed to leave and you find them getting shots. We’re switching on to different guys… we weren’t as locked in or focused on our execution defensively in every capacity and when you don’t shoot that well, that’s going to be the difference.”

As it stands, the Jazz are still one of the best teams in the league. However, it has been said that the team has a few issues to resolve.

Among them is the tension between star players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell which “seems to have been inflamed,” per NBA insider and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

According to Windhorst, “the Jazz have subsequently been poking around the market for wing defenders” as newcomer CEO Danny Ainge “might have a big decision to make.”

Hence, Utah could consider swinging a last-minute, “Aaron Gordon-type" of trade deal just before the deadline.

Aaron Gordon

Aaron Gordon dunks on the Orlando Magic Photo: Getty Images

"They're seeing if they can find their own Aaron Gordon trade," a rival general manager said, referring to the move the Denver Nuggets made to pick up the versatile defender from the Orlando Magic before last season's trade deadline. "I'm not sure if they'll find it."

Windhorst added that the Jazz have two options at the moment–lose a couple of key offensive players to aid the growing tension between Gobert and Mitchell, or bank on the team they've “built.”

“The risk for Utah: trade away some of the offensive talent to help Gobert and turn down the heat between him and Mitchell, or ride out the quality team it built and hope the defense is good enough under pressure,” he assessed.

The Jazz will be looking to end their skid when they face the Detroit Pistons at home on Friday, January 21.