The relationship between Utah Jazz All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell “doesn’t appear salvageable,” according to Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Tony Jones of The Athletic.
On March 11, Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus, and a day later, Mitchell tested positive.
Gobert acted recklessly with total disregard of the safety guidelines before he tested positive. Gobert jokingly touched media microphones during a Q&A session before the Jazz took on the OKC Thunder in Oklahoma City on March 11.
Gobert’s immaturity and his positive test results have reportedly soured his relationship with Mitchell. The Athletic reported that Mitchell “remains reluctant to fix what might have been broken.” ⠀⠀
The two All-Stars are in their third season together and have shown to work great together. Mitchell, the number 13th pick in the 2017 draft, helped Utah reach the Western Conference semifinals, winning 48 games his rookie season and 50 games the following season.
The Utah Jazz currently holds the number 4 spot in the Western Conference at 41–23 as the NBA enters the second month of its coronavirus shutdown.