Rudy Gobert thinks the Jazz need to improve on defense. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Utah Jazz infighting goes from bad to worse

Originally posted on Game 7 | By Charles Kruger | Last updated 1/16/22

The Utah Jazz are 28-14 and sit fourth in the Western Conference. Although their record is strong, the Jazz have lost four straight games to Eastern Conference foes that, frankly, aren’t on the same level talent-wise.

As such, frustration has started to build in Salt Lake City.

The first person to outwardly express that frustration was Jazz big man Rudy Gobert.

And because of Gobert's history with Donovan Mitchell, many have interpreted his comments to be a shot at his teammate.

“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,” said Gobert, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “They take every game personally. [Suns guard] Devin Booker is playing his a– 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.”

Mitchell seemed to feel that Gobert’s comments were a shot at him, liking a tweet that plainly said so.

One other person who liked that same tweet Mitchell highlighted? Fellow guard Jordan Clarkson.

On Saturday, he was asked about it as well.

Jordan Clarkson, on why he liked the tweet about Rudy Gobert commenting on the defense: “It’s just defense. It’s all focus. It is what it is. That’s what we’re going to hold our hat on, that’s what we’ve been talking about all year. Just defense. … We know what we gotta do.”

— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 15, 2022

Jordan Clarkson, when asked if he felt like Rudy was talking to the perimeter players: “I ain’t gonna talk about it no more. It ain’t like he pointed out a big man. We know what we gotta do.”

— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 15, 2022

It’s hard not to draw parallels between the Jazz and the only other team in the NBA whose players seem to hate each other as much this team’s do.

This group has a long history of beefing among one another, and it seems to be continuing now despite the relative success it has experienced for most of this season.

Will all parties involved ultimately be able to grow up and move past their issues with one another? Time will tell.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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