Rudy Gobert may not exactly be the most popular person in the Utah Jazz locker room right now.
The Jazz center Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, made some comments this week criticizing the team’s play on defense. Gobert appeared to be singling out Utah’s guards specifically, and one of those guards seemed pretty unhappy about Gobert’s comments.
On Saturday, another Jazz player hinted at displeasure with what Gobert said. Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson “liked” a tweet calling Gobert’s comments a “subtweet,” essentially meaning that Gobert was taking a shot at someone in particular without mentioning names. Clarkson was asked by reporters why he “liked” the tweet.
“It’s just defense,” he replied, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s all focus. It is what it is. That’s what we’re going to hold our hat on, that’s what we’ve been talking about all year … We know what we gotta do.
“I ain’t gonna talk about it no more,” added Clarkson. “It ain’t like [Gobert] pointed out a big man. We know what we gotta do.”
The Jazz have lost their last four games in a row, giving up an average of 121.0 points per game in those losses. Gobert missed all four games after being placed in health and safety protocols.
Gobert is the leader of Utah’s defense, and the team suffers tremendously on that end of the floor whenever he is not around to anchor the unit. But the Jazz, who have had the same core for many years, are under the microsope this season, and Gobert’s comments did not appear to be very well-received.
Photo: Feb 24, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) warms up before the game against the Phoenix Suns at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
