The NBA bubble games start next month, and the Utah Jazz will be one of the teams playing in Orlando. However, the side stories remain, and most know the celebrated rift between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Back in March, Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. When other players returned the same result, the NBA was forced to temporarily cancel the season.
Gobert came under fire for being careless at that time. After an interview with the press, the French center playfully touched the microphones, unaware that he may be spreading the virus with his acts. Worse, it appears he was similarly careless in the locker room, and such resulted in some players getting infected. One of them was Mitchell, who ended up frustrated with the actions of his Jazz teammate.
Since then, most have kept tabs on the development between the two. Each comment or action that either made would be linked to their relationship. It came to a point where most believed that one of them would be leaving the Jazz soon. But all that may be water under the bridge now. Mitchell shed some light on ESPN recently, including an update on how things are going on between him and Gobert.
"Right now, we’re good. We’re going out there ready to hoop. I think the biggest thing that kind of sucked was that it took away from the guys on the team, took away from what the guys on the team were trying to do," Mitchell said.
It was not elaborated if both players were able to patch things up or if there was an issue, to begin with. Either way, this would be a good development for the Jazz and their fans. Utah finds itself at the fourth spot of the NBA Western Conference with a 41-23 win-loss record. They are 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets. If they do well in the bubble games, they could move up to the third spot. There is even a chance they could go higher, all depending on how they play.
For now, Mitchell wants to focus on the task at hand. However, there is also that threat that the games could be imperiled. The number of COVID-19 cases over in Florida is growing, and some players are testing positive for COVID-19. So far, the NBA bubble games appear to be pushing through as scheduled. But that could all change if the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to spike.
