Rudy Gobert on his relationship with Donovan Mitchell: 'People are trying to divide us' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports Credit Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz have been hit by rumors of a torpid relationship between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Free throws this season

77%17,7Points made:17,7Accuracy:76,9%Place in standings:7Record max:35Record min:6Most made FTs:Rudy GobertTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

The French big man appeared on ESPN’s "NBA Today" and was asked about the issue. While Gobert was largely dismissive of the rumors, he admitted that it was normal for relationships to sometimes be imperfect.

According to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, the rumors regarding him and Mitchell is nothing but noise:

"What are my thoughts? There’s always going to be noise," Gobert said. "There’s a lot of teams and a lot of people that would love for us to break apart. They would love to get a Rudy Gobert or a Donovan Mitchell in their team. There’s a lot of bigger markets too, that would love to get that."

Gobert seemed to understand that every move they make is continuously scrutinized. "We’re aware of that and we know that everything that happens with our team on the court, off the court is being looked at with a very big scope," he continued.

"People are looking for anything they can find to just try and divide us. For us, after what we’ve been through over the last three years, the COVID situation and everything, we’re both aware of that, and we both know that it’s something that’s not going to stop.

We got to mute that noise. We both have the same goal to win a championship here and we got to embrace the moments."

Gobert was then asked about his own commitment to the Jazz. He signed a five-year extension in 2020 and he has every intention of keeping it:

"For sure, for sure," Gobert responded. "I mean, we’re here for a reason. It’s easy to look at the past, look at the future, but at the end of the day, we have an opportunity today and I think for us the most important thing to do is to embrace that.

Donovan Mitchell

MIN:33.8PTS:25.98 (52.46%)REB:4.17As:5.35ST:1.48BL:0.18TO:3GM:66ProfileNBA2021/2022

It’s the NBA. Nobody plays together for 20 years. We knows it’s a business and we know how it works, but for us what's important is that supporting each other is the key, and be there for one another.

It’s never going to be perfect. There is no team in the NBA where it's perfect. But when we share the same goal and we support each other, that’s huge."

The rift between Gobert and Mitchell came to the surface again after it was revealed that Mitchell makes an average of just three passes to Gobert per game. The American guard admitted that he thought it was a "wild stat", adding that it says nothing about their relationship:

"I make the right plays. I know I do," Mitchell said. "We have the No. 1 pick and roll efficiency, so clearly we’re doing something correct on the offensive side. Like, yeah, I missed big fella in the paint late game. It happens. People make mistakes."

Gobert did not specifically address talk that Mitchell is reluctant to pass him the ball, in an effort to frame this as normal tension within an NBA locker room.

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