Jazz's Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert Reportedly 'Are Under Each Other's Skin'

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.