In the first round of the NBA playoffs in the Western Conference, the fourth-seeded Lone Ranger of the West played against the fifth-seeded Jazz's Game2, and the core of the Lone Ranger Luka Doncic continued to miss the team due to injury.
But even with one less MVP player who averaged 28.7 points, 9.1 boards, and 8.7 assists per game, the Jazz still lost to the Lone Ranger 104-111, and the total score of the series reached 1-1.
If you can grasp the god-given opportunity of Luka Doncic's injury and take a 2-0 lead on the road, then the Jazz back at home can be said to be in sight.
Unfortunately, the Jazz once again suffered a tragic reversal with a lead of more than 10 points. Although the 1-1 overall score is not the end of the world, but Game 3 Luka Doncic has a high probability of returning, and the Jazz really missed a great fighter.
Since winning Donovan Mitchell in the draft, the Jazz have made the playoffs every year. In the year of Donovan Mitchell's rookie, the Jazz eliminated the Thunder, which had big three Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, without being favored.
At the time, people were saying that Donovan Mitchell would definitely become a superstar, and that the combination of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert would definitely help Salt Lake City win the championship.
A season later, he still made the playoffs, but was swept out by hardened Rockets in the first round with an aggregate score of 4-1.
Another year, in the playoffs in the bubble circle, this time the Jazz's opponent is the Nuggets. The Jazz, who once held a 3-1 lead, were eliminated by the Nuggets 3-4 on aggregate. While Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray continued to score points, each sending 50+ scoring performances to the fans, the Jazz lost and lost.
Coming to last season's Western Conference semifinals, this time against the Clippers. During the series, The Clippers core Leonard was injured, and the Jazz's chances of winning suddenly rose a lot, but in the end, the Jazz were eliminated.
Then it's this season. This time, the opponent is the lone ranger who has stopped the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years. If the Jazz become the background board for the opponent to break through the bottleneck, then the combination of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert is likely to break up.
Although you can reach the playoffs in the west where the strong teams are like clouds every year, you can't make a breakthrough in the playoffs every year, so it is inevitable to make changes.
So the question is, if you were a Jazz executive, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell could only keep one, who would you choose?
First of all, although Rudy Gobert is not good at attacking, his defense is absolutely unquestionable, it can be said that it comes with a set of defensive systems, and the three best defensive players can already explain everything. Without Rudy Gobert, the Jazz's defensive system would collapse directly.
Donovan Mitchell's words, although the offensive data is beautiful, but in part, it is also because Donovan Mitchell has obtained a large number of shooting rights. Take the Game 2 against the Lone Ranger as an example, Donovan Mitchell shot 13 of 30 from the field and scored 34 points, which is a good statistic, but he has shot 30 times!
By comparison, Rudy Gobert scored eight points and 17 boards and made just five shots. Mike Conley made just seven shots and scored just 0 points.
If Rudy Gobert also shoots more than 20 times, although Rudy Gobert does not have the ability to score three points, but the deterrent power on the inside is still unquestionable, then Rudy Gobert can at least score 20 points, right?
We pushed the clock forward to a regular season game between the Jazz and the Warriors. At one point, the Jazz were nearly 20 points ahead of the Warriors, and eventually the Warriors successfully overturned the game, winning 111-107. After the game, Donovan Mitchell's remarks were also intriguing, saying that this was the first time that the team did not understand that it had been reversed, and he was obviously very disappointed in this.
Because of this remark, many people believe that Donovan Mitchell has already had a heart and plans to leave Salt Lake City.
In fact, given Rudy Gobert's super salary, if the two had to be traded for one of them, it would actually be much easier to send Donovan Mitchell away, after all, there are not many players in the market who can eat Rudy Gobert's super contract.
To be honest, I think that after the comeback of Luka Doncic, it will be difficult for the Jazz to beat the Lone Ranger. In this series, the Lone Ranger should advance to 4-2 on aggregate, ending the embarrassment of stopping the first round for two consecutive years.
If that's the case, then next season, we'll see a brand new Jazz. Is it likely that Donovan Mitchell will wear the Jersey of the New York Knicks?