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Rudy Gobert Doesn’t Need MIP Award for Validation

By Maxwell Ogden

Apr 10, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) warms up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) warms up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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The race for the NBA Most Improved Player award was one with a number of legitimate candidates. At the top of the race, however, was a trio of defensive-minded players whose contributions reached new heights in 2014-15: Jimmy Butler, Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green.

In the end, the NBA awarded Butler with the Most Improved Player award.

Utah Jazz fans shouldn’t fret; Gobert remains on the path to stardom.

Gobert finished the 2014-15 NBA regular season with averages of 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 0.8 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. He shot 60.4 percent from the field and 62.3 percent from the free throw line.

That’s a massive improvement from the previous season.

Rudy GobertMPGPPGRPGDRPGORPGAPGBPGSPGFG%FT%
2013-149.62.33.42.31.10.20.90.2.486.492
2014-1526.38.49.56.23.21.32.30.8.604.623
Difference+16.7+6.1+6.1+3.9+2.1+1.1+1.4+0.6+11.8%+13.1%

The sky is the limit for Gobert.

The Jazz have quietly built one of the most promising teams in the NBA, and Gobert is a major part of that. He’s the tone-setter defensively whose unreal 7’9″ wingspan and 7’1″ body make him the ultimate rim protector.

Per NBA.com, Gobert led the league in opponent field goal percentage at the rim at 40.4 percent on 8.3 attempts faced per game. He was also No. 3 with 2.30 blocks per game and No. 3 with 4.20 blocks per 48 minutes.

Still only 22 years old, Gobert has the look of a future Defensive Player of the Year.

If the Jazz continue to perform as well defensively as they did after the All-Star Break, Gobert will likely end up winning the award.

Upon the trade of embattled big man Enes Kanter, Gobert’s playing time increased and the Jazz’s defensive efficiency followed suit. In fact, Utah became one of the most dominant defensive teams in the league.

In 29 games after the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline, the Jazz allowed 100 points or more just six times.

In other words, in a span of 29 games, Utah held 79.3 percent of its opponents to 100 points or less. It went 19-10 in that time and finished the regular season with a league-best 94.9 points allowed per game.

That all goes back to Gobert.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Jazz allowed 101.9 points per 100 possessions with Gobert on the floor. When The Stifle Tower hit the bench, Utah allowed 109.1 points per 100 possessions.

That’s a difference of 7.2 points per 100 possessions.

Gobert must continue to work on his offensive fundamentals, but defensively, there aren’t many players better than he. His size and length make him a nightmare along the interior, and that’s what Utah is building its team around.

Ball movement is the name of the game under Quin Snyder, but Utah will live-and-die by its defense.

In the ultra-competitive Western Conference, Gobert’s defensive prowess is what makes him such a special rising star. As DeAndre Jordan prepares to enter a potentially lucrative period of free agency, Gobert is quietly sneaking up as the next in line.

A case could be made that Gobert is already the superior defensive player.

Per NBA.com, Gobert held opponents to 11.6 percent worse shooting from six feet and in than their season average. By comparison, Jordan forces a 6.6 percent decline from six feet and in, per NBA.com.

This is no slight on Jordan, but if he’s in line for mega millions, Gobert will be, too.

His offense is raw, but he managed to convert at a significantly more efficient clip from the field and at the charity stripe in 2014-15 than he did in 2013-14. That level of improvement should be enough for Utah to place its future in the hands of he, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward.

When all else fails, Gobert can do this:

When an athletic 7’1″ big man with a 7’9″ wingspan goes up, there’s only so much one can do to stop him.

In two seasons, Gobert has gone from an obscure international upside player to one on the brink of stardom. He’s already a dominant defensive player who, with the proper offensive development, can be an all-round star.

Rudy Gobert doesn’t need hardware to validate his rise to the ranks of the defensive elite.

Next: Jimmy Butler wins Most Improved Player

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