NBA: Ranking the top 10 NBA player duos after free agency

9. Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert

Despite two consecutive postseason drubbings at the hands of the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz have a reason for optimism, as Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have each established themselves as dominant forces, albeit on different ends of the floor.

Since entering the league two seasons ago, Mitchell has established himself as one of the best young offensive players in the NBA, averaging over 20 points per game in each of his first two seasons. While he has room for improvement as far as efficiency goes (43.4% career field goal percentage), it is reasonable to believe that continued development, as well as the addition of supplementary scorers Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley, will help him on that front.

Mitchell’s highs are remarkable, especially for a player with such little professional experience. In his rookie year, he led Utah to a five-game series victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, consistently out-dueling the likes of Paul George and Russell Westbrook on the offensive end of the floor.

Gobert, on the other hand, is an utterly dominant defensive force with rare rim-protection abilities. His mere presence in the paint forces opponents to make strategic adjustments, limiting the scoring impact of opposing post players. The two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert is a force to be reckoned with, even if much of his impact does not show up on the stat sheet. Gobert also capitalizes on his opportunities around the rim, shooting a career-high 66.9 percent from the floor this past season.

There is certainly an argument that newly-acquired point guard Mike Conley could be named here, but Mitchell’s long-term potential along with Gobert’s defensive prowess leaves the highly-talented Conley as Utah’s third option.