Donovan Mitchell Must Trust Rudy Gobert on Offense

While Rudy Gobert certainly isn’t the most skilled offensive center in the league, the Jazz — and more specifically, Donovan Mitchell — will need him to at least be a threat on that end of the floor if they hope to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs. The fact that Mitchell only averages a tad over two passes, not assists, but passes, to his costar is unacceptable.

In the playoffs, defenses study every single tendency and possible advantage that they might be able to exploit against their opponent. There’s no doubt that teams have already picked up on Mitchell’s unwillingness to find Gobert inside, even on obvious mismatches and perfect seals.

If defenses don’t have to worry about Gobert’s presence as an interior finisher or roll man, they’ll be able to effortlessly switch on all of his pick-and-rolls, and Spida and his fellow ballhandlers will struggle to find driving lanes to attack.

Even if it doesn’t result in the most efficient shot, Mitchell and the other Jazz playmakers need to force the ball to Gobert early and often to keep defenses honest.

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This not only will have a psychological effect on the opposing defense, but it might also provide a mental boost for the Jazz’s star center as well. There’s no doubt that Gobert will be more engaged on both ends of the court, set tougher screens, and work harder to find gaps on offense if he knows that he has a chance to get the ball.

Regardless of how Mitchell feels about playing with Gobert, he has to recognize that it will be difficult to replicate the Stifle Tower’s production on both ends of the court with a trade. Getting the Frenchman more involved on offense could mean keeping him in Utah for the foreseeable future.