There has been pressure on the Jazz this season from the opening tip โ a make-or-break season for the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert era in Utah. If this season doesnโt see a deep playoff run, it has been expected the roster will be broken down and one of the big stars traded. Having a new owner in Ryan Smith, then him hiring Danny Ainge to head up basketball operations only increased the perception that it is now or never for these Jazz.
That pressure and a rough patch of basketball due to injuries โ they had lost 11-of-13 before turning it around and winning five straight heading into this weekend โ has led to rumblings of fissures in the Jazz locker room, specifically between Mitchell and Gobert.
Now comes another report along those lines, this time from Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated during The Crossover NBA Show podcast with Chris Mannix (hat tip Hoopshype).
โI think theyโre in trouble. I think theyโre in trouble because this thing has run its course and we…