Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been at the center of several reports of dysfunction within the Utah Jazz. A stat emerged recently about how Mitchell had just 2 passes to Gobert in an entire game and it only fueled the fire in terms of rumors that the two stars don’t see eye-to-eye. However, it seems that the air in Utah has been cleared as the Jazz try and make a properly deep playoff run for the first time with this core.
Speaking to The Athletic, Gobert revealed that the Jazz had had a team meeting, and a conversation in particular between him and Mitchell about their goals and what they need to do to achieve them caught the eye. According to Rudy, the key for the star duo is to trust each other and build off of that.
“I think we both realize that it’s about helping each other out and embracing the moment,” Gobert said of Mitchell. “If we do that, we know that good things will happen. Once again, it’s never going to be perfect. But if I do things to try to lift him up, and he does those things to try to lift me up.
“Some nights, things can go wrong. It’s basketball. You don’t win every game every night. Sometimes you have some bad nights. But if the trust is there, you’re in great shape. And that’s what we pretty much told each other.”
Donovan Mitchell has recently expressed his belief that the Jazz can still make it all the way and win the NBA championship but it will be quite the ask for a team that has struggled to close games out all season long. An overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies was a good sign though, and along with this conversation, they will be hoping they can get back into form just as the postseason comes around.
