Three Storylines Surrounding the Jazz in All-Star Weekend

by Daniel Olsen

With the Utah Jazz mostly resting during the All-Star break, star players Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have secured their third appearances in this annual event to honor their skill. It’s time to take a look at the three biggest storylines surrounding this weekend for the Jazz.

Donovan Mitchell’s Health

The main question remains how much we will see of Mitchell. As of Saturday, he did not participate in the All-Star practice for Team LeBron. He was active on Twitter though as he watched the Saturday night events from his hotel. Time will tell if he will be feeling well enough to suit up on Sunday night. He is one of the reserves on Team LeBron so hopefully he is able to play for at least a few minutes.

Donovan vs Rudy

For the second straight year, Mitchell and Gobert will be squaring off on opposite teams. Last year, Gobert was selected by Team LeBron and Mitchell was chosen by Team Durant. This year, LeBron made some changes with his strategy and drafted Mitchell. Durant picked Gobert second to last this year over James Harden because he wanted some size. That got some chuckles from LeBron.

Two years ago, both players played for Team Giannis in their first All-Star appearance. It will be fun to see how the two do against each other on opposing sides again.

Draymond Drama

It appears that Draymond Green cannot let old jokes die. Perhaps it’s because it appears that Rudy currently has a 3-1 lead over him in Defensive Player of the Year awards. He has run a smear campaign on the Frenchman in an attempt to narrow the gap.

He has applauded his own versatility as he claims that he can guard all five positions while Gobert is “just a rim protector”. Has he watched Gobert?

Green also poked fun at Gobert in front of the NBA on TNT crew. When asked what was the weirdest reaction to not being selected in an NBA All-Star game, Green took the bait and berated Gobert for crying on national television. The truth is that Gobert was feeling emotional when they asked him a question about his mother.

Green was also selected by Team Durant, so it will be interesting to see whether his toxic masculinity carries over to the basketball court. Will there be any pleasantries when he and Gobert are wearing the same jersey? Time will tell.

Featured image courtesy Spenser Heaps, Deseret News