Utah Jazz fans have grown accustomed to reports of a divide between their two star players. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert enjoy a certain offense/defense symbiosis on the floor, but that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll get along off of it.
Rumor has it, they’ve been struggling to do exactly that lately.
Are tensions between two Utah Jazz stars rising?
Prominent NBA analyst Howard Beck recently reported that “some tensions” between the two Utah Jazz stars “might be a little worse than we’ve been led to believe”.
That’s concerning, given that we’ve already been led to believe that tensions are pretty high. We won’t rehash the entire history of the beef between the two stars here. It’s well-documented, and we’ve already documented it ourselves.
This situation feels like it must have a breaking point. Winning cures all, and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021-22 would almost surely solve any problems between Mitchell and Gobert. Would a trip to the conference finals? What about a single series win?
The answers to those questions feel like they’re “maybe” and “probably not”, respectively. What happens if the Utah Jazz fall short this postseason?
Will the Utah Jazz be faced with a tough decision?
Some rumors suggest that Donovan Mitchell will make a decision for the Jazz. If he demands a trade, this club is probably looking at a full fledged rebuild.
That could go one of two ways. The Jazz could fulfill Mitchell’s request, and ship off Gobert for additional rebuilding pieces. As it stands, they’re low on draft capital. Trading their two best players would be a safe avenue towards replenishing their war chest.
On the other hand, the Jazz have an organizational history of retooling rather than rebuilding. They could move Mitchell for a more present-focused package, and forge on with the best rim protector in basketball.
Suppose Mitchell doesn’t demand a trade, but the relationship between him and Gobert becomes evidently untenable. The Jazz could hypothetically move Gobert in efforts to acquire a more distinctive second offensive option.
Given the recent play of Udoka Azubuike and Hassan Whiteside, they may benefit from making up a portion of Gobert’s rim protection while juicing the offense. Whiteside’s contract is about to expire, but he seems to have built enough goodwill within the organization that he could be persuaded to stay if necessary.
Utah Jazz need to focus on the present
None of which necessarily matters at this moment. For all of the turmoil the team has faced in 2021-22 so far, the Jazz are 35-21. That’s good for fourth in the treacherous Western Conference.
It’s a particularly impressive record in light of the plethora of injuries the team has dealt with this season. These Jazz still have plenty of chips on the table in 2021-22.
They may be all-in, whether they like it or not.
The stakes certainly feel high. The Utah Jazz have the talent, coaching and roster construction to win an NBA championship this season. They’ll still need the chemistry if they’re going to actually get there.