Utah Jazz: 5 goals for Rudy Gobert in 2017-18

4. Lead the league in total blocks again

For the first time in his four-year career, Rudy Gobert managed to lead the NBA in a major statistical category and it wasn’t even close.

The 7’1″ center turned back 214 shots, 41 more than anyone else in the league. His average of 2.6 blocks per game was nearly 0.5 more than the next closest player, Anthony Davis.

There are plenty of reasons for Gobert to maintain his defensive excellence, as the Jazz have become one of the most difficult teams to score points against — a trend that needs to continue for the team to return to the postseason.

The Jazz have incentivized Gobert to sustain his lofty defensive standards by dangling $2 million in bonuses in his contract. Gobert can collect $1 million if he is selected to the Western Conference All-Star team, as long as he isn’t an injury replacement.

A return to the All-NBA Defensive Team, along with reaching a specific rebounding mark could pad his bank account by $750,000 and he can tack on another $250,000 if his defensive rating is below 100, a feat he has reached in each of the past three seasons.

Blessed with a wingspan of 7’9″ and possessing a standing reach of 9’11”, the greatest asset of Gobert is his ability to erase shot trajectories towards the rim. If he is out blocking hundreds of shots, opponents will struggle to carve out scoring opportunities and he can collect another seven-figure payday.