Donovan Mitchell freezing Rudy Gobert out of Jazz offense?

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are known to have an icy relationship, but that may now be taking on an additional meaning.

Twitter user Dustin Taylor shared an unbelievable statistic this week about Mitchell and Gobert — the former only passes to the latter (passes not assists) twice per game on average.

Here’s a fun stat:

Donovan averages 2 passes a game to Rudy Gobert.

Not assists. Passes…

— Dustin Taylor ⌚️ (@DustinT_NBA) April 3, 2022

StatMuse added that the actual number is 2.3 passes per game from Mitchell to Gobert (roughly half of the number of times Gobert passes to Mitchell). Taylor also noted that Mitchell’s passes to Gobert have been going down consistently over the last few years.

Might be something but probably nothing:

Rudy Gobert averages almost twice more passes to Donovan Mitchell (4.5) than Mitchell to Gobert (2.3) this season. pic.twitter.com/yQXfbBu6LZ

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 3, 2022

Donovan Mitchell passes to Gobert year by year:

2017: 3.6
2018: 4.4
2019: 5.8
2020: 3.5
2021: 2.3

I wonder what possibly could’ve happened in 2020 to make passes drop from 5.8 to 3.5.

It’s clear that off court issues are leaking on court.

— Dustin Taylor ⌚️ (@DustinT_NBA) April 3, 2022

We saw one clear example of that during Utah’s latest loss on Saturday to Golden State. On a crucial late-game possession, Gobert had deep post position on a smaller defender, only to be totally ignored by Mitchell.

Rudy Gobert gets Klay on a mismatch, seals him in the restricted area, and gets completely ignored pic.twitter.com/6NK07PFH1n

— . (@WBallCentral) April 3, 2022

While Gobert is not quite Hakeem Olajuwon down low, he is still a terrific roll man and has a nice touch around the rim. For Mitchell, Utah’s primary ball-handler, to literally be throwing him the ball just two times per game is pretty much inexcusable.

Mitchell’s issues with Gobert are well-documented, and rumors of strife between the two recently resurfaced again. With the Jazz having lost six of their last seven to fall to No. 6 in the West, it is fair to question whether the Mitchell-Gobert tensions are bleeding over onto the floor and negatively affecting Utah’s play.

Photo: Dec 7, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up prior to their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports