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Big man Rudy Gobert isn't dwelling on what has been considered to be a devastating loss for the Utah Jazz this summer in the departure of Gordon Hayward. The ever-improving forward mustered a career-high 21.9 points per game with the Jazz in his final season, becoming an integral part of the offense and the key cog through which head coach Quin Snyder ran his offense.
As Gobert begins his recovery process from a knee injury, the 7-foot-1 Frenchman said he doesn't resent his former teammate for leaving, especially in the way in which it took place. Hayward's commitment to the Boston Celtics had been already reported from the morning of July 4, but the official decision wasn't announced until hours later, when Hayward released a heartfelt goodbye to the Jazz and its fans through an article in The Players Tribune.
Article Continues Below“[When Hayward announced he was going to the Celtics], I know it was hard for [Jazz general manager] Dennis Lindsey, because when he announced it, the biggest free agents were already gone,” Gobert told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod. “I know Danilo Gallinari signed the day before in L.A, so it was frustrating… So we just said okay. We were here because of defense, so let’s try and become an even better defensive team.”
Not only did the Jazz have 20-plus-point off their starting lineup at the end of that day, but also were forced to reconstruct their offensive mold through different players — which could have made Gobert feel like starting from scratch.
“No, it didn’t feel like starting over,” said Gobert. “I think… we have built something since Quin got here. We’ve gotten better every year. Players come and go — it happens. Sometimes important players go. But I feel like it didn’t change our identity. Our identity was defense.”
