NBA Trades: Pros and cons of a potential Rudy Gobert-Chicago Bulls trade

NBA Trades: Pros of a potential Rudy Gobert-Chicago Bulls trade

Going into the 2021-22 season, most fans assumed that the Bulls would struggle to stop teams from scoring, especially in the paint. While that ultimately proved to be right, it looked like Chicago figured things out on that end for the first couple of months.

Thanks to first-year Bulls guards Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball agitating opponents and clogging the passing lanes (and rookie Ayo Dosunmu sliding around screens), the team ranked in the top seven in defensive rating between the start of the season and the end of November. By the end of December, they were still in the top 10.

Once Caruso and Ball started missing games, however, the Bulls’ lack of size and perimeter stoppers caused their defense to freefall to the bottom third of the league. Specifically, the Bulls struggled with blocks (25th in swats per 100 possessions), and that inability to repel or even alter shots in the paint caused opponents to constantly attack that weakness (only the San Antonio Spurs surrendered more shots inside the restricted area per game).

Gobert, who has averaged at least two blocks per game in all but one of his nine seasons, would fix nearly all of the Bulls’ rim protection problems. In addition to the blocks, which is a small aspect of defensive success, the Frenchman ranked in the 90th percentile or better in rim deterrence, rim shots contested rate, and block rate on contests, per BBall Index (subscription required).

In Utah, Gobert papered over the Jazz’s lack of perimeter defenders and carried them to a top 10 defense in 2021-22. With Ball and Caruso on the Bulls roster, his load would lessen while also easing those guards’ responsibilities on the perimeter.