The problem: The Jazz’s very foundation …

The problem: The Jazz’s very foundation has cracked. “I feel like it’s not in our DNA yet to be dogs defensively as a team,” says Gobert, the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year. “It’s in the program’s DNA, but we don’t come out every night thinking, ‘I’m going to be physical; I’m going to make things hard for the other guy.’ We need that dog mentality.” Statistically, the Jazz this season are a mediocre defensive team. They rank 13th in defensive rating, allowing 108.3 points per 100 possessions. It’s the worst Utah has been on that end of the floor since 2013-14, when they won 25 games and Gobert was a raw rookie who spent most of the season in the G League.