It was exactly a year ago Thursday that the NBA world, and subsequently the sports world, came to a halt following Rudy Gobert’s positive test for COVID-19.
The wake of that positive test saw the NBA and every other sports league shut down as it served as one of the first big moments of realization for many that the pandemic was very real and was already sweeping through the United States. On a smaller scale, the fallout from the Gobert positive became a pivotal point for the Jazz organization. Reports emerged that Donovan Mitchell, who never had the closest relationship with his co-star in Utah, was infuriated by the situation and that their relationship was “unsalvageable” moving forward. Given those two stars were the ones the Jazz had built around and were expected to both get hefty extensions this offseason, Utah and its two stars faced major questions.
Those extensions arrived as expected, with Mitchell and Gobert both getting their respective maxes to stay around longterm in Utah, and the result this season has been nothing short of sensational, as the Jazz have the league’s best record at the midseason mark. Mitchell recently spoke with Tony Jones of The Athletic and those reports of an unsalvageable relationship came up, with Mitchell saying it gave he and his star center something to motivate them to get past their frustrations with each other and prove they could not just play but be dominant together.
“In a strange way, I think that article helped,” Mitchell said. “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.
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“We have a competitive energy in common and that helped us,” Mitchell said. “Our mindset was like, Forget y’all. You guys don’t think we can do this.’ Anytime we hear what we can’t do, we want to go out and prove that wrong.”
It’s somewhat incredible to think that what brought those two together, finally, was reports that there was an unsolvable rift between them. Their defiance and insistence on proving doubters wrong at all times finally found a common enemy and the results have been tremendous for Utah.
That moment, the panic and unknown of everything when Gobert tested positive and everything started shutting down, was one few will forget and a turning point for many. It had so many unexpected consequences, among them being the thing that both drove the Jazz apart and, ultimately, brought them closer together than ever before.