Jazz's Top-3 Moments of the Rudy Gobert/Donovan Mitchell Era

These moments were priceless to Utah Jazz fans.

In a draft night trade, Donovan Mitchell was dealt to the Utah Jazz in 2017. That same summer, Gordon Hayward defected from the Jazz in free agency, leaving the team and franchise in limbo as they looked to build around Rudy Gobert. 

The Jazz were high on Mitchell, but no one expected the 13th pick in the draft would have such a high impact and that quickly. In Gobert and Mitchell's five years together, the Jazz became one of the strongest and most consistent teams.

We all know the duo had their issues, both on and off the court, that ultimately led to their downfall. Regardless of these deficiencies as teammates, Gobert and Mitchell did lead the franchise to some great moments over five years. 

As the Jazz look forward to a new future without them, let’s revisit some of the highlights from the duo's era. In no particular order, here are the top 3 Gobert/Mitchell moments.

Gobert Winning 3 DPoY Awards

Gobert’s success and improvement came more incrementally. This made it even more rewarding to watch him grow in real time. 

Every year, Gobert seemed to get better and better defensively. His passion and intensity created some of the most entertaining basketball I have seen. 

For some reason, Gobert has always been an easy target for haters in and around the league, and I think Jazz fans will agree that seeing him hoist those trophies over them was always a highlight of those years.

Bubble Mitchell

Mitchell is an entertaining scorer that continues to burn defenses and be 'that guy' five years into his career. He led the Jazz in so many great moments, but one of the most entertaining moments of this era is the 2020 bubble. 

The Jazz lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets but, even in an empty gym, Mitchell put on some of the best playoff performances in a Jazz uniform. With two 50-point games and a 36-point average, he gave Jazz fans a much-needed uplift during the pandemic and will always be remembered for some amazing games.

The OKC Series

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Over five years, some of the greatest moments were Mitchell and Gobert’s individual accomplishments, but one of the most memorable highlights of their tenure together was winning the Oklahoma City Thunder series. Sadly, this came in their first year as teammates. 

This Jazz team had so much going against them: a rookie guard in Mitchell and DPOY Gobert with a young and underrated team. Most of the media picked the Jazz to miss the playoffs completely and yet they went up against a star-powered Thunder led by Russell Westbrook and Paul George. 

All these factors made the series victory even sweeter. This team put everything on the court and to see Gobert dominate defensively, and Mitchell outperform two All-Stars, gave this era some of the most fun basketball fans would see. 

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, the duo would never be able to capitalize on their great individual success and could never combine their talent for postseason triumph. This ended with Gobert and Mitchell being traded, and a once-promising duo concluded their run together in Salt Lake City. 

The franchise looks forward to a new era of Jazz basketball as it builds a new slate of memories that hopefully will culminate with a long-awaited championship. Until then, Jazz fans can look back on the great runs that Mitchell and Gobert gave them. 

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