Rudy Gobert leads the league in blocked shots (134) and blocks per game (2.5). He holds one of the league’s highest defensive ratings, leads the league in Defensive Win Shares, is fourth in the league in Total Win Shares (behind only Harden, Durant, and Lowry), and ranks among the league leaders in Box Plus/Minus and Value Over Replacement Player. He also leads the league in true shooting percentage, is second in field goal percentage, and third in terms of offensive rating, but we’re here to talk about his defense. The Utah Jazz currently sit at 34-19 despite having only 4 players on the roster above the age of 26 and missing their all-star, Gordon Hayward, for 7 of those games. A big part of that has been the health (he’s played every game so far) and emergence of Rudy Gobert as a true difference maker. Obviously he’s been blocking shots for a good long while now, but his all-around game has improved. He’s getting to the line 6 times a game, and converting 65.5% of those, helping account for 13.0 points per game; along with his 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, those are all career-best numbers.
At 7’1”, with a standing reach of 9 feet 7 inches, and wingspan of 7 feet 8.5 inches, and a knack for knocking shots out of the air as soon as it is released, it’s easy to see why Rudy regularly ruins an opposing player’s offensive options. The Jazz rank near the top of all team defensive measurements because they’ve got the Stifle Tower anchoring everything. As a team, they just don’t give up anything easy. Rudy isn’t exactly the most nimble player on the perimeter, but his length and intelligence compensate for that. He might not block every shot, but he certainly alters a whole hell of a lot of them. A particularly great sequence starts at 8:35, where he comes off of his man to stunt on the player receiving the ball off a pin down, recovers back, then stays under on the high pick and roll to contain Dragic. He forces him to give the ball up, then gets back to his man, blocks the shot, and then gathers the board.
If you were to ask me who I felt was the biggest all-star snub this year, I would answer Rudy Gobert without any hesitation. I like Hayward and all, but I feel that Rudy’s overall impact on Utah should have warranted an all-star berth. In an ideal world, Gobert and Gordon would’ve both made it, but hey, I’m sure 4 Warriors all-stars seems fair when San Antonio, Houston, Utah, Memphis and the Clippers each only have one, right? Three, fine. I’d be accepting of three, but four? Anyway. This video was a whole lot of fun to put together, so please enjoy!
*Description from March 2017
Негізгі бет Спорт Rudy Gobert - Rugged Rim Protector 16/17 (Block Party)
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