Rudy Gobert
Not to beat a dead horse, but the story line for both Favors’ and Gobert’s 2015-16 season was essentially the same. They finished 2014-15 very strong and expectations were high for both of them, then injuries swept in and their jump in production wasn’t as monumental as hoped or expected.
But Gobert is a year younger and still possesses the freakish talent necessary to be one of the biggest impact players in the league as a top rim protector. While many felt that Gobert’s absence from the NBA All-Defensive team was a major snub, he has all the tools to come back and take his rightful place on that team.
Gobert did post the lowest opponent field goal percentage at the rim in the league last year, proving that he’s already an excellent rim protector. If the Stifle Tower can maintain this statistic throughout the year and count on his teammates to also do their part in shutting opponents down and therefore boosting the Jazz’s record, there’s no reason why he couldn’t make the All-Defensive team and compete for Defensive Player of the Year.
Although Kawhi Leonard has won that prestigious award two years running, it has historically been an awarded to a big man. In fact, from 1996 to 2014, Gary Payton and Metta World Peace were the only two non-bigs to win the award.
If Gobert can revert to his 2014-15 post-All-Star break defensive numbers throughout the course of 82 games, he could certainly be a prime candidate.
But aside from defense, Gobert still has work to do on the offensive end. With each of the other four starters being solid offensive options, Gobert doesn’t have to be a go-to scorer by any means.
However, extending his range slightly, becoming an automatic finisher at the rim and improving his passing and decision making with the ball in his hands would make him a much more useful asset on the offensive end. If he can just get his scoring average up to 10 points or so per game, it would be enormous for Utah’s offense.
If this doesn’t happen or if his defense takes a slip, the impressive size advantage that the Jazz rely on Gobert for will be severely weakened.
Best Case Scenario: Defensive Player of the Year, fringe All-Star
Worst Case Scenario: Points per game slip to seven or less and offensive liability outweighs middling defensive performance
Next: Rodney Hood