Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert revealed Wednesday that the team held a players-only meeting Monday following a tough loss to the Golden State Warriors.

According to Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic, Gobert said:

We got to sit together and just be honest with each other. It was the whole team. And for us, the bottom line was really the communication during the game. We've been playing well for three quarters; I mean, we'd be first in the league if the game ended after the third... [...]

Obviously, the good teams step up in the fourth. But still—we're not a s--tty team.

Utah fell 111-107 to the Warriors on Saturday despite holding a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Warriors remarkably went on an 18-0 run to win the game.

The Jazz bounced back nicely after the players-only meeting, though, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 121-115 in overtime Tuesday to clinch a playoff spot.

Utah came through in the clutch during Tuesday's win, holding the Grizzlies without a point for nearly the entire overtime session and outscoring them 11-5 overall in OT.

Still, there is some reason for concern despite the win moving the Jazz to 47-32 on the season and putting them fifth in the Western Conference.

Notably, they faced a Grizzlies team that was without its top player in Ja Morant and another key contributor in Dillon Brooks. With a full lineup spearheaded by Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, most would have expected Utah to score a more comfortable win.

Making the playoffs hasn't been an issue for the Jazz over the past several years, but postseason success has largely eluded them.

Utah is about to make its sixth straight playoff appearance under head coach Quin Snyder, and in the past five seasons, it has not gotten past the second round.

If the Jazz are going to change that this season, they'll need to solve their penchant for surrendering big leads.

As pointed out by Ben Anderson of KSL Sports, Utah has lost a shocking 15 games this season in which it held double-digit leads:

Jazz blown double-digit leads resulting in losses this season is up to 15.

@ Magic
vs. Grizzlies
vs. Pelicans
vs. Wizards
vs. Spurs
@ Raptors
@ Pistons
@ Lakers
vs. Rockets
@ Lakers
@ Spurs
vs. Bucks
@ Mavericks
@ Clippers
@ Warriors

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 3, 2022

One of those defeats came against the Dallas Mavericks, which is the team the Jazz are currently slated to face in the first round of the playoffs.

The Jazz are 2-2 against the Mavs this season. But they have lost each of the last two meetings, and they aren't far removed from a five-game losing streak that ran from March 21 through March 29.

Utah isn't playing its best basketball right now, but the performance was better after the players-only meeting, generating some hope that the Jazz could be a tough out come playoff time.

Quin Snyder wanted to set the record straight. 

After a few tweets went viral this past week pointing out that Donovan Mitchell doesn't pass the ball often to Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz head coach attempted to contextualize the numbers for reporters on Tuesday. 

Here’s a fun stat:

Donovan averages 2 passes a game to Rudy Gobert.

Not assists. Passes…

— Dustin Taylor ⌚️ (@DustinT_NBA) April 3, 2022

Donovan Mitchell averages 2 passes a game to Rudy Gobert.

Not assists. Passes 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Hgq7gwrAe7

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 3, 2022

"Trae Young and [Clint] Capela, that's the comp that we're using, right? You know, out of 3,442 possessions, he's passed to Capela 472 times. OK. Donovan, out of 1600, he's passed to Rudy 150 times. So those are roughly the same number, right?"

Not exactly.

As Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune noted, Young passes to Capela on 13.7 percent of the Atlanta Hawks' possessions, while Mitchell passes to Gobert on 9.4 percent of Utah's possessions. 

But Snyder also noted the comparison wasn't "apples to apples." Young operates as the primary ball-handler in Atlanta, directing the pick-and-roll with the rim-running Capela, while Snyder noted that Mike Conley is the primary facilitator for Utah and Mitchell is more of a secondary playmaker.

He added that the Jazz's emphasis on shooting threes often limits Gobert's touches. 

"Let's just not try to drive a wedge between some of these players and especially using numbers. We should be more responsible than that," Snyder said. "... We're not playing great all the time. We want to play better. But you don't get there by trying to say that one player's not passing to another."

It was all part of a larger 19-minute oration to reporters before Tuesday's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, with Utah's recent struggles perhaps bubbling to the surface for Snyder. The Jazz have lost six of their past seven games, dropping to 46-32 and sixth in the Western Conference.

The Mitchell-Gobert partnership has come under the microscope in the past, namely in 2020, when Mitchell was reportedly unhappy with Gobert's cavalier attitude toward the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It appeared as though any rift between the pair had long since healed. Snyder is certainly looking to squash any basis for it to return. 

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Sacramento Kings with a left foot strain, the team announced. 

Gobert also missed time earlier this season because of multiple injuries, including a strained calf, left shoulder inflammation and a stint in the league's health and safety protocols.

Through 52 games this year, Gobert has been outstanding on both ends of the floor. The nine-year veteran is averaging 15.4 points, 14.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting a career-best 71.2 percent from the field.

The 29-year-old Gobert has already put together a stellar career. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-Star. He has also been named to an All-NBA team four times.

While Gobert is out, the Jazz will insert veteran center Hassan Whiteside into the starting role. Whiteside has seen limited action off the bench, but per 36 minutes, he's averaging 16.7 points and 15.3 rebounds.

Players like Juancho Hernangomez and Eric Paschall could also see some time at the center position when Utah decides to go small.

The Utah Jazz have partnered with Airbnb to provide 32,000 nights of housing for Ukrainian refugees.

Per a news release from the Utah Jazz Foundation, Jazz chairman Ryan Smith announced the donation Tuesday as part of Airbnb.org's effort to provide housing to refugees from Ukraine who are fleeing their homes amid an invasion by Russia.

Connection and community have never been more important than it is today. Millions of people have been forced to leave behind their entire lives in Ukraine. Airbnb.org is connecting host families with refugees in need, creating safe havens when so many communities are being torn apart. The Utah Jazz Foundation is honored to partner with Airbnb.org to fund stays for refugees who have fled Ukraine—enough to fill every seat right here in our own house—Vivint Arena—nearly two times over. And we can't stop there. I encourage every organization to support Airbnb.org's important initiative, to magnify their impact and house enough refugees to fill their arenas or workplaces.

Airbnb.org announced Feb. 28 it was offering free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. The organization also said it would "work closely with governments to best support the specific needs in each country, including by providing longer-term stays."

Reuters noted the United Nations has verified 1,335 civilian casualties.

Per UN News, a majority of Ukrainian refugees—more than 1.2 million—have fled to Poland. Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia are among the other countries where they have gone.

New York Knicks executive vice president William Wesley is gearing up to make a trade offer for Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, according to Newsday's Steve Popper.

Popper wrote:

According to the same person who pointed to Wesley's criticism of Thibodeau, Wesley has been selling his plan, one that eventually will land Utah's Donovan Mitchell, a New York native. But this is not schmoozing a high school player and steering him to a college of choice, and it's not so simple even if the relationships are in place. Rose served as a former agent for Mitchell and the front office also inserted Johnnie Bryant as associate head coach after Bryant served as an assistant in Utah.

The news comes after an Eastern Conference scout told Ric Bucher of Fox Sports in January that the Jazz are "a first-round exit from Donovan being in New York."

Mitchell has been a staple in Utah's lineup since the 2017-18 campaign. However, the Jazz haven't made many roster moves over the last few years and will need to do so if they hope to win an NBA title, even if that means parting ways with Mitchell.

And while some believe Mitchell would be open to returning to New York, where he grew up, the three-time All-Star told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports earlier this month that he has no intention of leaving the Jazz in the future.

I think I've reached a point where you're happy with yourself, first off. ... But as far as myself with the franchise, I see the articles, but I really address it with my teammates. I've seen it. I'm not too stressed about it. I'm not thinking about it. Because for me, it's about how we can win.

There's going to be talk whether I say something, whether I don't say something because that's how I've always been. I've always been someone that's like, 'OK, they're saying stuff. Let's go ahead and lock in.' I haven't really thought too much about it. I'm happy right now and just continuing to find ways to win.

Mitchell has been a consistent scorer over his five-year career and is averaging 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from deep in 47 games this season.

While Mitchell remains loyal to the Jazz, anything could happen during the offseason, especially if the Knicks end up with a high first-round draft pick, which could be intriguing to Utah.

However, it's unclear what the Knicks would have to give up in order to acquire Mitchell. In addition, it's unclear how much he alone would be able to help the franchise, which is in the midst of a highly disappointing season, next year. More acquisitions would likely have to be made.

Mitchell is in the first year of a five-year, $163 million contract. The Knicks probably wouldn't have an issue taking on his contract, especially given Wesley's interest. 

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has announced he will not participate in Sunday's All-Star Game because of an upper respiratory illness not related to COVID-19:

Statement from Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell: pic.twitter.com/jC6Rtwn5dZ

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 20, 2022

Mitchell was set to play for Team LeBron in Cleveland.

The guard missed time earlier this season with a back injury and was placed in concussion protocol in January.

The 25-year-old is Utah's go-to option on the offensive end. He has averaged better than 20 points per game in every season of his career and helped lead the Jazz to the best record in the NBA last season.

Mitchell averaged 26.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in 2020-21 and has followed with 25.7 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals a night this season.

The Louisville product can create and facilitate with the ball in his hands or play off the ball as someone who can hit from the outside and attack the rim. It is difficult to envision the Jazz can challenge the best teams in the Western Conference if he is not on the floor come playoff time.

If Mitchell is sidelined for the Jazz after the All-Star break, look for the team to turn to the combination of Jordan Clarkson and Jared Butler for more playing time.     

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said there's no lingering tension with teammate Rudy Gobert that would impact the team's NBA championship chase.

Mitchell explained to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes in an interview for Tuesday's edition of the Posted Up podcast that players can chase on-court success without being best friends away from the arena:

First of all, we're good. I just want to go on record with saying that. I think it's interesting that stuff happens, and he and I have never played at this high of a level together since we've been here. So I make the joke, 'For a group that hates each other, man, we're playing pretty well.'

And we can be even better. We're good. We're focused on winning. We have a common goal. I think that's the biggest thing. You don't always have to be the best of friends with people you work with. But at the end of the day, if you work towards a common goal that's beneficial to the team, that's what's first. We want to win, and I don't think either of us are worried about what's being said around us.

There are longstanding questions about the Mitchell-Gobert dynamic, and those continued to multiply in early February when ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on The Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM) the duo had been "at each other's throats," which he described as the "most underplayed story in the league."

Yet the Jazz have continued to play at a high level despite whatever problems exist. They own a 36-21 record, which is the sixth-best mark in the NBA.

The situation also hasn't appeared to affect either player individually as Gobert ranks sixth in FiveThirtyEight's WAR metric and Mitchell is 23rd. Add in point guard Mike Conley (11th), and Utah features perhaps the league's best core group statistically.

Whether those promising numbers translate to postseason success will depend heavily on whether Mitchell and Gobert can coexist when it matters most.

Mitchell was also asked by Haynes about Gobert's comments in mid-February about his belief the team lacked winning habits defensively, which was perceived as a shot toward Mitchell and others:

People have their own way of expressing things. I think the bigger way would have been just to do it in house, but it's water under the bridge for me now, and for us as a group. ... When you have two people that are competitive, you want to ultimately be the best. I would take that as opposed to two dudes who just want to sit on their ass and do nothing. You have two guys who are going to go out there and compete. He's a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I'm a three-time All-Star. We're going to find ways to get better individually and collectively as a group, and I'll take that.

As a whole, Mitchell's remarks stopped short of saying everything is perfect between himself and Gobert, but he clearly doesn't believe that's enough to stop the team from living up to its potential.

It'll be interesting to see, however, when the going gets tough in the playoffs whether their different outlooks on the game—defense-first Gobert and offense-first Mitchell—comes to a head. It's likely the stories about this relationship are far from over.

For now, the Jazz will focus on the short term and attempt to extend their six-game winning streak Wednesday when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers before heading into the All-Star break.

The Utah Jazz are reportedly dealing with locker room turmoil coming out of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

On Friday's episode of The Crossover NBA Show with Chris Mannix and Howard Beck (h/t HoopsHype), Beck said "some tensions" exist within the Jazz locker room that "might be a little worse than we've been led to believe."

The Jazz have won four in a row and rank fourth in the Western Conference with a 34-21 record.

Utah wasn't too busy at the deadline, but it added two players in a three-team trade with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.

The Jazz shipped out injured guard Joe Ingles, forward Elijah Hughes and two second-round picks for guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and forward Juancho Hernangomez.

That gives the Jazz additional depth to support the core of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson.

The Jazz boast a pair of three-time All-Stars in Mitchell and Gobert, plus Gobert is a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

However, rumors of issues between Mitchell and Gobert have swirled since the 2019-20 season because of Gobert's actions in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Days before Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19, he mocked the league's policy on social distancing by touching all the microphones and recording devices in front of him.

As well, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Gobert was "careless" in the locker room before he tested positive, touching other players and their belongings.

Mitchell subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. In an appearance on Good Morning America (h/t ESPN's Tim MacMahon), Mitchell admitted he was upset with Gobert, saying, "It took me a while to kind of cool off."

Questions have persisted about the relationship between Mitchell and Gobert.

A lack of playoff success may also have contributed to the reported frustration in Utah, as the Jazz have not advanced past the second round despite making the playoffs in each of the past five seasons.

While they haven't gotten over the hump, the Jazz are still contenders to make it out of the Western Conference this season, especially after impressively beating the second-seeded Golden State Warriors 111-85 on Wednesday.

A failure to improve in the playoffs, though, could start rumors that Mitchell wants out of Utah, per Beck, which would be a huge blow after the franchise signed him to a five-year max contract extension in 2020.

The Utah Jazz have won four straight games after crushing the visiting Golden State Warriors 111-85 on Wednesday at Salt Lake City's Vivint Arena.

Jazz wing Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers with 23 points. Donovan Mitchell finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight dimes.

Hassan Whiteside led a tremendous defensive effort with seven blocks in addition to his nine points and 17 rebounds.

Utah outscored Golden State 56-36 in the second half and held the Dubs to 35.9 percent shooting. The Jazz also outscored Golden State 48-20 in the paint.

Golden State played without shooting guard Klay Thompson (rest). The five-time All-Star played a season-high 29 minutes on Monday as he continues his comeback after missing two years with ACL and Achilles injuries.

The Warriors also were without Draymond Green, who has missed 16 straight games with a lower back injury.

This marked Utah's first game since ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on a three-team deal involving the Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Utah will reportedly receive Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Blazers and San Antonio Spurs forward Juancho Hernagomez in exchange for Joe Ingles and Elijah Hughes, who are headed to Portland. Utah is also sending a 2022 second-round pick to Portland and a 2027 second-rounder to the Spurs.

Neither of Utah's additions suited up Wednesday. The Jazz also played without Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) for the eighth straight game.

The 34-21 Jazz have bounced back strong in response to a five-game losing streak and currently hold down the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference.

The 41-14 Warriors' nine-game win streak broke with the loss.

    

Notable Performances

Warriors G Jordan Poole: 18 points

Warriors G Stephen Curry: 16 points, 7 rebounds

Warriors F Andrew Wiggins: 13 points

Jazz F Bogdan Bogdanovic: 23 points, 6 rebounds

Jazz G Donovan Mitchell: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists

Jazz C Hassan Whiteside: 9 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks

     

Led By Whiteside, Jazz Defense Overwhelms Warriors

The Jazz allowed 13 points in the first three minutes of this game. They proceeded to hold the Warriors to 72 points over the last 45 minutes as the Jazz dominated on the defensive end.

Whiteside set the tone when he entered the game in the first quarter. Soon afterward, he stole the ball from Stephen Curry, and Trent Forrest picked it up for a bucket the other way.

the steal ✅
the hustle ✅
the bucket ✅#TakeNote | @TForrest_11 pic.twitter.com/tsy7KxCgGf

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 10, 2022

Whiteside ultimately amassed five blocks before the second quarter was three minutes old.

Hassan with 5️⃣ blocks already tonight #TakeNote | @youngwhiteside pic.twitter.com/dDGkkWZVyF

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 10, 2022

He was a catalyst for the team's turnaround after the Jazz found themselves in an early hole.

Warriors exploited Hassan Whiteside for a few wide open 3s in the first half, but Jazz generally beat up the Warriors (+11) with him on the floor. Whiteside had six blocks in 14 minutes. Warriors opened game on a 13-0 run, down six at half.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 10, 2022

The big man didn't make a huge offensive impact, but he made the most of his opportunities by shooting 4-of-5 for his nine points:

what a night for the big man#TakeNote | @youngwhiteside pic.twitter.com/BLpzMJvMon

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 10, 2022

He even flirted with a triple-double and was asked about that postgame:

Hassan Whiteside, when asked if he thought he might get a triple-double: “Yeah, I thought I might. But the blocks get tough. They were attacking me a lot more early in the game. (As it went on), they started doing crazy stuff.”

— tribjazz (@tribjazz) February 10, 2022

The Jazz ended up outscoring the Warriors by 35 points with Whiteside on the court. Simply put, he was this game's MVP as Utah cruised to victory.

     

Blip on the Radar for Warriors; Kuminga Excels

Games like Wednesday's ugly loss have been very few and far between this year. It's only the 10th time in which Golden State scored fewer than 100 points and the third occasion where the Dubs had under 90.

Given that the team was (a) shorthanded, (b) playing on the road, (c) facing a very good team on a winning streak and (d) have been in great form prior to Wednesday, there isn't much to be overly concerned about. It's just one bad game amid what's been an excellent three-week stretch.

If there's one positive to take away, it's the continued good play from rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who entered Wednesday averaging 17.7 points in 26.0 minutes over his last three games.

He continued to showcase his tremendous potential and added 12 more points off the bench, including a pair of threes:

JK showin' off the range 📍

📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/Cht7f8jI9A

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 10, 2022

Kuminga's tremendous athleticism was on display again as he seemingly floated en route this dunk:

another night
another flight

📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/O6q4G0idt3

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 10, 2022

It's hard to take away anything good from twenty-six point losses, but it's easy to see why Kuminga might end up being a central piece to this team's future over the next decade-plus. For now, he's an excellent bench contributor for a championship-contending team and a potential postseason X-factor.

       

What's Next?

Both teams will play at home next.

Golden State will welcome the New York Knicks into San Francisco's Chase Center on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

Utah will host the Orlando Magic on Friday at 9 p.m.

The relationship between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell is reportedly once again reaching a crossroads.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon discussed the ongoing tensions between the two Utah Jazz stars on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM): 

"Gobert and Mitchell have been at each other's...I don't know if I can say at each other's throats," Windhorst said.

MacMahon replied: "It's back to being passively aggressively awkward."

"It's the most underplayed story in the league, I think," Windhorst said. "The Jazz are struggling a lot. This team had big expectations and they're getting passed by frankly. They are not on the level they were a year ago. Donovan and Gobert, even though they're both under long-term contract, are under each other's skin. There's all kind of subtweeting and passive aggressive stuff going on."

Mitchell told Tony Jones of The Athletic that he and Gobert are "good" despite the report of tension between him and Gobert.

The Jazz have lost eight of their last 11 games and dropped well out of the race at the top of the Western Conference after being the No. 1 seed last season. Utah already has more losses (21) through 52 games than it did in 72 games (20) last season. 

Tensions between Gobert and Mitchell are nothing new. The relationship between the two was severely fractured at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic over Gobert's carelessness regarding the virus.

Gobert famously mocked the virus in March 2020 by touching all of the mics during a press conference with reporters before later becoming the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19. Mitchell tested positive days later. 

Gobert and Mitchell worked on their issues over the course of the months between the shutdown of the NBA season and its bubble resumption, eventually coming to an understanding. The pair seemed to have forged a strong bond during the 2020-21 season, with Mitchell saying the media attention helped bring them together. 

"In a strange way, I think that article helped," Mitchell told Tony Jones of The Athletic of an article that described his relationship with Gobert as unsalvageable. "It brought out a level of determination in both of us that we never had. I never had a controversy like that. Here we were, the two pillars of the team, and we had to go to the playoffs in two months. It brought out a different level of tenacity in both of us."

Fractures in the relationship began reappearing throughout this season with the Jazz coming off a disappointing second-round playoff exit. Gobert added fire to the smoke last month when he criticized his teammates' lack of defensive effort.

“When I watch some of these other teams like the Suns or the Warriors, those guys are a step ahead of us in terms of winning habits,” Gobert told reporters last month. “They take every game personally. Devin Booker is playing his ass off defensively. I’ve been watching him compared to two years ago.

“Guys like that, they buy in. You can tell they take pride in playing defense, stopping their man, doing whatever they can defensively to stop the other team and be a part of a winning culture. I think we’re not there yet, but I think we’re gonna get there.”

Many, including Mitchell himself, seemed to take the quote as a public shot at his co-star. When asked about Gobert's comments, Mitchell was clearly perturbed by the situation and offered a terse response.

"We all as a group hold each other accountable. That's his way, I guess. I'm not too concerned about it. His just happened this way. Cool," Mitchell said.

Both Mitchell and Gobert are under contract through at least the 2024-25 season, so the only way a breakup is happening is if the situation reaches a point of no return. For now, though, the Jazz stars appear far closer to reluctant coworkers than the budding friends they were a year ago.