“You can tell Devin Booker is playing his a*s off defensively”: When Rudy Gobert praising the Suns guard clearly came off as an attack on Donovan Mitchell, how that can affect offseason for Utah Jazz

It’s pretty evident to everyone that Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are over with playing together, but who will get out is the question.

Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell do not have a sturdy relationship since the day Rudy jokingly played with microphones in a presser in 2020 and came back to the locker room and inflected players with COVID-19.

The French international’s intentions weren’t surely bad, but it was foolish of him to touch all the microphones to prove that Corona wasn’t real.

Also read: “Rudy Gobert can’t guard me!”: Luka Doncic talks his s*#& as he put the Utah Jazz in a spell while enchanting the Dallas Mavericks crowd

That incident led to many players in Utah getting infected with the virus and later when other teams tested several players positive, NBA decided it will postpone the remainder of the season and will finally end up playing in the Bubble in Orlando.

There weren’t any dire consequences for Gobert after that incident but his other post-game presser this season might do that, just for the Utah Jazz this time.

When Rudy Gobert took a clear shot at Donovan Mitchell refreshing Devin Booker

A couple of months before the Playoffs started and the Utah Jazz were on a 5-game losing streak and were losing their 2nd place to the Memphis Grizzlies for good, Rudy Gobert talked about what is his team’s problem. And the mention of Devin Booker’s defensive improvement seemed like a clear attempt to target his own teammate, Donovan Mitchell.

“We know that when the playoffs come, we’re not just going to flip a switch and all of a sudden communicate, all of a sudden be able to stay in front of our man, all of a sudden be able to rebound,” Gobert said. “When I watch some of these other teams like the Suns or the Warriors, for example, those guys are a step ahead of us in terms of winning habits. I feel like they take every game personally.”

As well as the Donovan Mitchell responses to 2 separate questions a day later: pic.twitter.com/irKTufQJ1L

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 30, 2022

“You can tell Devin Booker is playing his a*s off defensively,” Gobert said.

That surely got many in the Utah camp disgruntled and asked for a response from the Jazz guard. Mitchell responded the very next day but not in any kind of anger targeted at his fellow teammate.

Also read: “I thought Karl Malone was a sellout!”: Shaquille O’Neal admits to making a mistake in judging the Jazz legend too soon

Now that Jazz are out of the Playoffs, that too in the first round, things are most likely going to go South and either of the stars will end up on trade blocks or will ask for one if they are not.

And until that happens it will be a suspense to see whether it’ll be their 3x DPOY big man or the 3x All-Star guard and face of the franchise who will take their talents someplace else.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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