Back in March when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert passed COVID-19 to Donovan Mitchell, there were multiple reports that their relationship was on the rocks.
A few weeks later, and that relationship is reportedly not any closer to being repaired.
In a detailed look at what happened behind the scenes, Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic shared that the relationship between Gobert and Mitchell “doesn’t appear salvageable,” and that Mitchell Mitchell “remains reluctant to fix what might have been broken.”
That’s not great. However, it’s worth noting that teammate Joe Ingles thinks the team will be fine, whenever it’s time to get back to work.
“I’m confident our team is going to be totally fine,” Ingles said. “I heard Donovan’s response (on GMA), or whatever it was, to that question, and a part of that is on Donovan and Rudy to sort out if he’s frustrated with him or whatever. But I have no doubt when we go back to training, or when our season starts again, our team is going to be what we have been and what we are. … I’m confident our team will be completely fine. The chemistry will be fine.”
Whether the “chemistry will be fine” in the long run is something we’ll find out in due course. But even if this relationship never heals all the way, it doesn’t mean the Jazz are doomed. Teammates don’t always get along, and some of the best teams in NBA history dealt with personality clashes and other interpersonal drama.
It’s also worth pointing out that, while Gobert was irresponsibly dismissive of the coronavirus initially, he has since become one of the strongest voices in the NBA when it comes to promoting awareness and providing help during this deadly pandemic.