Gordon's Hayward's decision to leave the Utah Jazz for Boston Celtics was a big blow for the franchise but there is one positive that can come from it. 

The loss of the All-Star should see Rudy Gobert take on a bigger role with Utah next season and based on his numbers from last year, he should have no problems doing so. 

He averaged 14 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while shooting 66.1 percent from the field – which were all career-highs.

Despite Hayward leading the team in scoring, a strong case could be made that the Stifle Tower was already their leader.

In the last campaign, he emerged as one of the league’s best big men and earned a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.

He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made the All-Defensive First Team.

The Frenchman is likely to have to carry some of the load for Utah offensively and he has been working on two specific aspects of his game in preparation for this.

"First off, I’ve definitely been working on my body – getting stronger, improving my lower-body strength and working on my quickness," he said. "But the main goals on the court are, of course, [improving] my post-game and mid-range shot. Those are my two main focuses."

With the addition of Ricky Rubio, one of the elite passers in the league, Gobert could increase his scoring numbers as the point guard is an expert at getting the ball to his teammates at the right spots. 

The center believes Rubio will be the perfect playmaker for him and is looking forward to playing with the Spaniard. 

"I’m very excited. He’s one of the best passers in the league and he’s a very unselfish guy," he said. "I really like the way he plays and he’s going to get you open looks. I know if I’m open or if I get good positioning under the rim, I have someone who’s going to find me."

Another player that the 25-year-old is excited to play with is rookie Donovan Mitchell who impressed in the Summer League. 

He caught the eye in Las Vegas with a number of scoring outbursts and Jazz fans are hoping he can become a long-term replacement for Hayward. 

"I didn’t know anything about him when he got drafted, but I watched him at Summer League and I was impressed," said Gobert.

"He can score – it’s clear he can score – but it was his competitiveness, the chip on his shoulder and the way he takes every match-up seriously that I really liked to see. I think he can be a really good defensive player in this league. I’m going to push him every day to try to make him [reach his full potential] on that end."