ATLANTA — Donovan Mitchell decided to be a man about it.



So the shooting guard for the Utah Jazz went to Rudy Gobert early last week and did the one thing that’s difficult for a 23-year-old NBA star: He apologized.



He recognized he hadn’t been the best leader. He told himself that he had to be better. He knew what the problem was, and he knew that he had to fix it.



“I had to look in the mirror,” Mitchell told The Athletic.



The play in question happened last Monday night. Mitchell ran a pick-and-roll with Gobert. He got into the paint off the dribble, saw Gobert rolling to the basket and threw him a pass. That pass bounced off Gobert’s hands. Mitchell, frustrated, showed that frustration by throwing his hands in the air. And he knew he was wrong.



Last Monday night represented a low for the Utah Jazz. They were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that wasn’t close from the midway point of the...