Utah Jazz: How Will Rudy Gobert Get Minutes?
It’s been said that a shooting star is a tiny speck of debris that is burning up as it enters into the atmosphere of the Earth. These stars travel fast and are rare to see. Some people have been fortunate enough to see a shooting star in their lifetime, while mostly others are not.
The Jazz landed a potential cornerstone player in second string center Rudy Gobert. If the coaching staff and management of the Jazz can turn Gobert into even half of the player he’s destined to become than we will hear loud echoes and screeches of his potential every time he plays.
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Can you hear those intense guitar notes from Through the Fire and Flames
near you? A lot of people inside of the Energy Solutions Arena can and soon enough, the whole NBA is going to hear Dragonforce’s amazing tune.
That’s the sound of a future NBA All-Star in the making. That’s how good Gobert could become in the next few years if he’s developed properly, his ceiling as a player is like those shooting stars, it’s as high as the atmosphere.
One of the best shot blockers in the NBA (yes, I’m claiming it already) is Gobert. The size and the rate that the 7’1″, 245 pound, 22-year-old center blocks shots at is incredible. Though he is extremely raw on the offensive side of the basketball, Gobert is not a project on the defensive side of the basketball.
His defensive tenacity and intelligent shot blocking is what makes teams go crazy when they have to drive the lane. Pairing him along starting power forward Derrick Favors is going to create a no fly zone in the paint of the Energy Solutions Arena.
Any guards or players even thinking about taking off in the paint, are going to get their engines shot down like they were in a scene in Final Destination.
Opponents that get inside of the lane are going to throw rage fits and temper tantrums because of the two twin towers the Jazz have in the paint. We are going to easily see guards beating their defenders, getting into the lane after seeing Favors out of position, sprint for a dunk, and out of nowhere like a hawk in the sky comes Go Go Gadget Gobert to block their shot.
At that point, all the guard can do at that point is look over at his coach with his hands up in anger and run back on defense.
Playing in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Gobert opened the eyes of the NBA world. During a game against the Spanish National team that had Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol on their front line, Gobert managed to dominate. He finished the game with five points, 13 rebounds (four offensive rebounds) and one block.
This year, Gobert was mentioned as one of the players most likely to have a breakout 2014-15 season by a survey conducted by NBA general managers.
What Gobert also does for the Jazz that a lot of people should pay attention to, is that he rebounds the basketball at a high level. The Jazz need to fix their defense woes if they want to become a team that can competitively have a chance to make the playoffs.
What a lot of people need to realize is that rebounding is a form of playing defense. Having a center like Gobert who already enjoys doing the dirty work in the paint such as rebounding is key. When opponents cannot get second chance opportunities, it limits their ability to score points.
During Gobert’s first preseason games this year he already has notched a 20-rebound game, an 11-rebound game, and a 10-rebound game. All of those stats occurred while playing less than 27 minutes a game.
Speaking of minutes, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder has to find a way for Gobert to play on the floor. His development is key for the Jazz to have success. For a team who struggled last year on the defensive side of the basketball, Gobert gives the Jazz an identity and a presence that they have lacked inside of the paint.
In addition, if Snyder does give Gobert minutes because he has shown that he can prove his worth, he is the perfect compliment to either Favors, or Enes Kanter. With Favors and Gobert on the court together it’s not even fair.
However, when Gobert has to play on the court with Kanter, he can help make up for the flaws defensively that Kanter has because of his athleticism. Though Kanter’s weakest part of his game is his defense, playing along with Gobert, it will help cover the flaws.
Simply put, Gobert has to get minutes.
- He’s intelligent as a defender
- He’s freakishly athletic.
- He eventually could start on this team.
Right now playing as the second string center is only going to help his development. “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy, Rudy (In my best Louis CK intro voice).”