Utah Jazz: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season
3. Rudy Gilbert is a truly elite star
In naming the league’s brightest stars and most popular personalities, a trend emerges: offense. Players who can cook an opponent and put up 30+ a night are the players elevated to superstar status. Conversely, defensive aces are given respect but never adoration.
At some point it will be time to acknowledge that as the league’s best defensive player, Rudy Gobert should be in the conversation for the top 10. When he can improve a defense at the same level as a player such as James Harden improves the offense, he should receive equal accolades. Harden, like many offensive stars, is a minus defender; Rudy Gobert is a hyper-efficient offensive piece.
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Gobert missed 26 games due to injury, and during those games, the Jazz went 11-15. Overall they were 18-26 when Gobert returned from injury. Once he returned, the Jazz lost two of their next three games as he got his legs under him. They proceeded to rattle off 11 straight wins, and 29 wins in 35 games, surging from deep in the lottery to 48 wins.
When Gobert was on the court, the Jazz allowed just 99 points per 100 possessions, in the 97th percentile of all lineups. The Jazz overall finished the season ranked second on defense, a hair behind Boston. After the All-Star game they were by far the best defense in the league, and boasted the league’s best net rating overall.
Where does Gobert belong in a discussion of the best players in the league? It’s a difficult question to answer, both because this is a subjective question and because our only experience answering such a question depends on offensive impact. But he is absolutely a top-15 player, and very convincing arguments exist to raise him higher still.