New York Knicks: 3 reasons to be excited about R.J. Barrett
2. He is the Donovan Mitchell to Robinson’s Rudy Gobert
The duo of Barrett and Robinson could quite swiftly begin to draw comparisons to a different shooting guard-center duo: Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.
Barrett’s similarities to Mitchell are uncanny. Both players are shooting guards and can score the basketball at ease from almost every spot on the court. They both like to attack the basket, using their freakish athleticism to their advantage.
During the times that the shots just aren’t falling, both players possess great playmaking skills, an aptitude that very few shooting guards showcase.
When we move over to the comparison of these two big men, we notice more similarities than discrepancies. These defensive colossi were two out of the total of five players to average more than 2.0 blocks per game last season.
When we take a look at the field goal percentage leaders for the players that took over 75 shots, Robinson ranks first in the entire NBA, shooting a remarkable 69.4 percent from the field, while Gobert’s 66.9 percent from the field takes over the second spot.
In 2019, Mitchell Robinson is averaging a mind-boggling 5.5 blocks per-36 minutes.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 28, 2019
Robinson has a total of 52 blocks in 344 minutes.
To put that in context, Rudy Gobert, the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has 51 blocks in 729 minutes.https://t.co/E76GLEoBRY
Even though the Utah Jazz have not exactly earned the status of “contenders,” they seem to be heading in the right direction. Thanks to these two extraordinary talented players, Utah is witnessing exciting basketball once again — something that head coach David Fizdale could use to his advantage.