Utah Jazz: 25 Best Players To Play For The Jazz
By Phil Watson
2013-16. Rudy Gobert. 12. player. 118. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Denver Nuggets, June 27, 2013.. C
A draft night deal for a little-known big man from France turned into one of the biggest steals in the history of the Utah Jazz franchise.
On draft night in June 2013, the Jazz traded the rights to second-round pick Erick Green and cash to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the rights to French center Rudy Gobert, who had been taken 27th overall .
Gobert started slowly, playing less than 10 minutes per game as a rookie and playing eight games in the D-League before a breakout campaign in 2014-15 had the Jazz rethinking their future.
Enes Kanter was believed to be Utah’s center for the future, but Gobert’s emergence made Kanter–a defensive liability–expendable.
That’s because Gobert is all about the defense.
He finished third in the league in blocks in 2014-15, despite averaging less than 27 minutes per game and only entering the starting lineup in the second half of the campaign.
The 7-foot-1 behemoth continued his offensive evolution in 2015-16, despite missing 21 games with injuries to his ankle, tailbone and knee, averaging a career-best 9.1 points per game while still providing shot-blocking galore and a rebounding presence.
Gobert was again third in the NBA in shot-blocking in 2015-16, while averaging 9.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .559/—/.569.
In three seasons with Utah, Gobert is averaging 7.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game, shooting .575/0-for-2/.585.
He also set a single-season franchise record with a 14.3 offensive rebound percentage in 2014-15.
Gobert is playing on the final season of his rookie deal, with the Jazz facing a late October deadline to extend him or run the risk of him becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
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