SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz have a lineup problem. Three of their five starters, specifically point guard Ricky Rubio, power forward Derrick Favors and center Rudy Gobert, can’t shoot the ball.

That isn’t to say Favors and Gobert can’t score — they can, and they do — seemingly as long as the other one isn’t on the floor.

When Gobert was out with an injury, a bone contusion, Favors started at center rather than his traditional power forward spot and averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. Leading up to that stretch, while sharing the floor with Gobert, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and under a block per game.

For reference, only five players are currently averaging 16/9/2/1 on the season: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boogie Cousins, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid and Nikola Vucevic. All but Vucevic are nearly guaranteed a spot in the All-Star game this year; however, Vucevic may earn a spot if his high level of production continues.

Favors would lead all of these players in shooting percentage as the only player shooting better than 60 percent from the field.

As an unrestricted free agent after this season, Favors will almost certainly get a contract offer from one of the NBA’s other 29 teams that will be too rich for the Jazz to beat. Deservedly so, Favors is a premiere NBA talent, who just happens to play on the same team as Gobert and his semi-similar skill set. Gobert happens to also be in the first year of a four-year, $100 million contract.

Jazz coach Quin Snyder recently resorted to substituting either Favors or Gobert out three minutes into the beginning of each half in favor of spreading the floor.

Unfortunately, the Favors/Gobert conundrum is only one of two major issues for the Jazz.

Rubio, who the Jazz acquired in an attempt to lure Gordon Hayward back to Utah this summer and is under contract through next season, has been a borderline disaster. Though the seventh-year guard is averaging a career high in points per game (11.8), he’s below his career average in rebounds (3.5), steals (1.7) and 3-point shooting percentage (.290).

But he's significantly below his career average in assists per game, dropping from 8.2 to just 4.9 for the Jazz. He also holds the second highest average of his career in turning the ball over at 3.1 per game, which is just behind his rookie season of 3.2 per game.

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What makes Rubio’s fit particularly difficult is how he has struggled to find chemistry alongside Gobert, who is most effective catching the ball as he dives to the basket, traditionally out of a pick and roll. Rubio’s inability to punish teams adequately as the ball handler initiating the offense doesn’t provide Gobert the spacing required to make him the offensive juggernaut he was last season.

Although the Jazz have more time to make a decision on Rubio’s future than they do with Favors, addressing his fit may be more pressing.

If the Jazz choose to keep Rubio, his best role may be to come off the bench and lead the team’s second unit. However, if the Jazz intend to trade Rubio, a move out of the starting line up may only serve to lower his trade value.

Likewise with Favors, seeing his minutes and production drop won’t increase what the Jazz can get back in return should they choose to trade him. It leaves the Jazz front office in a precarious situation.

Having given up a first-round pick to acquire Rubio during the summer, the Jazz are unlikely to get equal value in return for the once highly sought after point guard. With Favors, any team acquiring him will be doing so understanding there is a significant risk that he could leave in the offseason — meaning, it’s unlikely a team will give the Jazz a significant piece in return for a player they may only have for a few months.

While these are difficult decisions to make, they are born out of overwhelming bright spots for the Jazz. Had Gobert not become an All-NBA caliber center, they have no option but to retain Favors and would gladly do so. Had Donovan Mitchell not thrown his name into the Rookie of the Year race, the Jazz would be saddled with Rubio’s offensive woes, with no backcourt alternative to keep them in the playoff race.

Luckily for the Jazz, the Feb. 8 trade deadline is far enough away that they have plenty of time to shop both Favors and Rubio, allowing them to seek out the best possible return in any moves, should they choose to make them.

The Jazz are about to undergo a difficult stretch of games, facing off against the Celtics, Cavaliers, Rockets, Spurs and Warriors before the end of the calendar year. With the quality of opponent and their current lineup dysfunction, losses will come more rapidly than wins over the next month, and the search for answers will jump to the forefront of Jazz fans minds.

Fortunately, the front office got a glimpse of the winning formula while Gobert battled injuries. Now they have the luxury of finding their way back to those winning ways, even if it means saying goodbye to a few current members of the starting lineup.

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