There’s no doubt that the future of the Utah Jazz rests largely on the shoulders of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. However, in spite of Mitchell’s high-octane style of play, one thing is certain — Rudy Gobert is the better basketball player.
Sunday’s All-Star Game was a microcosm of sorts for the Utah Jazz’s pair of pillar players.
Of course, I’m referring to Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — the best one-two tandem the Salt Lake Valley has seen since John Stockton and Karl Malone regularly lit up the Delta Center.
How is that, exactly?
Simply put, Mitchell played well; Rudy Gobert played better.
Mitchell wrapped up the night with three points, five rebounds and four assists in 14 minutes of play. On the flip side of things, Gobert tallied 21 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in just under 19 minutes — enough to comfortably land him in the All-Star MVP conversation.
And for any rogue fans of the Philadelphia 76ers who might’ve accidentally wandered onto this site, screen assists aside, you’ll be pleased to know that Gobert rounded out the All-Star Game as a plus-nine on the night.
Joel Embiid, on the other hand? A crisp minus-10, I’m afraid.
Enough about the All-Star Game, though.
Whether you’re a devout, lifelong fan of the Utah Jazz or a casual follower of NBA storylines, the contrast between these two All-Star talents is stark — Mitchell is known for his offense, while Gobert is known for his defense.
What’s starting to severely widen the gap between the two, however, is that — as of this year, at least — Gobert’s become an offensive force for the Utah Jazz, as well:
“Ball don’t lie,” but neither do the numbers:
- Offensive Rating – Fifth-best in the league at 129.9.
- Defensive Rating – Sixth-best in the league at 102.2.
- Offensive Win Shares – Seventh-best in the league at 5.2.
- Defensive Win Shares – Second-best in the league at 3.5.
No, tidy little lists like the above don’t necessarily tell the complete story of what’s going on with Gobert’s on-court production versus that of Mitchell’s, but here’s the scary part: there’s more — quite a bit more, in fact.
According to Andy Bailey of Forbes, as of February 15, if you were to sort every NBA player with at least 274 minutes of play this season by “the average of their 14 catch-alls,” Gobert would occupy the eighth-highest spot on the list, nestled snugly between the likes of household hoopers like Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler — ever heard of ‘em?
If you sort every NBA player w/ 274+ MIN on Feb 15 by the AVERAGE OF THEIR RANKS in 14 catch-alls (RPM, RAPTOR, BPM, PIPM, PIE, GmSc/36 and fantasy points per 36, as well as cumulative versions of each), this is the top 25... pic.twitter.com/oFt119eTtk
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) February 16, 2020
The same ranking positions Donovan Mitchell in 35th place.
More so than in seasons past, this year, #TakeNote Nation has grown increasingly loud with her claim that Rudy Gobert is a top-10 talent in the NBA. I’ve kept the Kool-Aid from my lips as long as possible, but the deeper the analytical dive I willingly take, the more enticing it becomes.
Mitchell isn’t the “poor man’s Westbrook” some Phoenix Suns fans might paint him out to be on Twitter, but on the back-end of the All-Star break, he’s clearly playing second fiddle to Gobert.
And as this writer sees it, that’s really the way it should be.