Gingerbread cookies are one of the most popular types of cookies known to man.
There are a variety of different types of recipes and unique ways that gingerbread can get used when a person wants to make food. Originally the gingerbread was created inside the country that is known to average around 80 million tourists a year and reigns as the most visited country in the world, France.
One of the players on the Utah Jazz that is a native of France is the Jazz reserve center, Rudy Gobert. The 7’1″ Gobert plays for a team that allows 101.2 points per game, which is good enough for 20th in the NBA and a team that ranks 23rd in rebounds per game.
For a team that defensively is very bland, the athletic Go-Go-Gadget center with a 7foot-8½ wingspan and a 9-foot-7 standing reach brings the “pain d’épices” which translates to “spice bread” to the Jazz.
Gobert brings a spice and flair to the Jazz that is much-needed in their starting lineup. Whether he’s blocking a shot into the third row of the stands, or fighting inside of the paint for position, Gobert doesn’t quit on plays.
Even if he gets dunked on by Vince Carter or by DeAndre Jordan, Gobert plays with energy and passion that inspires his teammates to play better (more on that later).
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As much we enjoy the fact that starting center Enes Kanter is having his best season as a professional basketball player, the Jazz still find themselves sitting near the bottom of the NBA standings with a 9-20 record.
No matter how much they’ve tried to change the culture of their team this season, their defensive woes keep coming back to bite them.
How many more games can Quin Snyder and the Jazz afford to not put Rudy Gobert in the starting lineup?
When will he get the opportunity for to showcase how much he can change the impact of the game? In the last five losses that the Jazz have suffered they’ve been getting killed defensively inside of the paint. These are the results of the opponents that the Jazz played in their last five games:
- Sacramento Kings 34 points
- Miami Heat 38 points
- Washington Wizards 52 points
- New Orleans Pelicans 52 points
- Charlotte Hornets 42 points
For the slow, grind it out style of basketball that the Jazz play they can’t keep allowing opponents to score in the paint at will. As one of the slowest teams in the league, the Jazz have the third slowest pace and are only in front of teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.
In addition as a team that only averages 96.4 possessions per game, it’s extremely difficult to win games if opponents are getting easy looks inside of the paint when the game is slowed down.
That’s where Gobert comes in. As one of the league leaders in shot blocking, Gobert averages 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while only playing around 19 minutes a game.
His PER numbers are very good. boasting a 20.85 player efficiency rating, which is the second highest total on the team behind power forward, Derrick Favors.
In addition, because of his intelligence and passion, Gobert makes his teammates better defensively. The Utah Jazz’ opponents field goal percentage drops from 50.4 to 43.7, and their opponents offensive rating drops from 117.6 to 105.6 when he’s on the floor.
Want an even bigger sample size? Look at some of the stat lines he’s produced when he’s played at least 30 minutes.
- vs. Memphis Grizzlies 2 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks
- vs. Charlotte Hornets 11 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
- vs. New Orleans Pelicans 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals
- vs. Washington Wizards 7 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks
The Jazz played against all of these teams on the road and finished with a 1-3 record. However against three of those opponents they were competing with teams who are contending to make the playoffs. The Jazz only suffered one bad loss which was to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Jazz need to take a serious look into Gobert’s playing time. In the month of December he’s averaging 7.0 points on 61 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game.
Gobert’s native city of Saint-Quentin, France, is only about a two-hour ride from Paris. The city of Paris which is primarily known for the Eiffel Tower, also holds another distinct wonder, being a city where there is only one stop sign.
When Gobert’s inside of the paint, opponents understand to stop, because their shot is going to get rejected.
Is it time for the Utah Jazz to start their best defensive player, center, Rudy Gobert? If not now, then when?