Donovan Mitchell sounds in time with jazz, Rudy Gobert

Three off-seasons ago Utah Jazz made the difficult decision to part with not one, but both of their All-Star talents Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert during the 2022 offseason, effectively resetting the team’s timeline for a full rebuild while Utah’s two stars found other opportunities elsewhere with better hopes of making the coveted finals run.

And so far, things are going decently well for both former jazz stars. Gobert just etched his best playoff run of his NBA career last season as Minnesota Timberwolves made their way to the Western Conference Finals, while Mitchell and Cleveland Cavaliers has jumped to the league’s best record for the 2024-2025 campaign so far.

But when you ask Mitchell about his time with the Jazz and with his teammate Gobert, he has no regrets about how his time went during his five years in Salt Lake City.

In a recent interview with Athletics and NBA insider Tony JonesMitchell delved into what he believes could have been better during his time with the Jazz, but still said he would “do it all over again” if he could.

“I think we both would say (me and Gobert) weren’t our most mature selves,” Mitchell said. “But, it’s tough because you’re never the most mature you’re going to be when you’re 21 or 22. The funny thing is, we were our best after the COVID thing. I think it was then , we got everything on the table and we could go and jump… I would do it all over again if I could. I’m grateful for that because it allowed me to become this player and this person.”

Since leaving Utah, Mitchell has made his mark with the Cavaliers. In three seasons and 152 games played, he has averaged 26.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists, en route to his third All-Star appearance.

As a young player with the Jazz, the signs were clear that Mitchell was ready to be a future NBA star, but the timing wasn’t quite right in Utah. He made it to five straight playoff appearances during his five years on the roster, yet the team couldn’t make enough noise in any of their five appearances to advance to a Western Conference Finals appearance.

The ending was turbulent in Utah, and one that probably could have ended better, but the Jazz made good on the blockbuster for their franchise cornerstone. That allowed Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton to find their way to Salt Lake City in the trade, along with a collection of future draft assets for Danny Ainge to put at his disposal.

It’s always difficult to trade a premier talent like Mitchell, especially as a small market team like the Jazz, but the writing was on the wall for the core after a first-round exit in 2022. Now Utah and the front office are on track to get this roster back to the level we saw four years ago with a methodical yet slowly building rebuilding process as Mitchell and Gobert chase their hoped-for championship rings on their new respective teams.

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