Recognition For Rudy
Rudy Gobert was the other Jazzman aside from Hill who received a significant amount of love from NBA GMs. He received votes as the best international player in the NBA only trailing the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marc Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Kristaps Porzingis and Pau Gasol.
In my humble opinion, I’d say Nowitzki and the Gasol brothers were basically “grandfathered” into this category based more on their lifetime achievements rather than current talent. One could make a strong argument that as Rudy nears his prime, he could be ranked as a better player than these three are in the tail ends of their careers.
And if Gobert can continue to build on the success he’s had thus far in preseason, there’s no reason why he can’t shatter the selections of NBA GMs and cruise into that top-five mix.
But the recognition that Gobert is probably even more proud of is his selection by NBA GMs as the second best interior defender in the NBA, receiving 16.7 percent of the votes. DeAndre Jordan ran away with the top spot in that category with 50 percent of the GM votes, but Rudy’s second place selection is nothing to be ashamed of.
He beat out the likes of Draymond Green who received 10 percent of the vote as well as Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard who both received 6.7 percent.
And while Jordan is surely the “sexier” pick given the many playoff appearances he has helped lead his team to, Gobert was the league’s leading rim protector last season and will look to continue to expand his game in the paint as a defensive force.
It was disappointing to see that Gobert didn’t receive any votes for best overall defensive player in the NBA, but as he continues to dominate in the paint, he most certainly should break into this category. Ironically enough, only three power forward/centers appeared on this list (Green, Jordan, and Hassan Whiteside) and they all received 6.7 percent of the votes or less.
Kawhi Leonard dominated the category with 66.7 percent of GM votes, followed by LeBron James (10 percent) and Avery Bradley (6.7 percent).
Despite his absence from that list, Rudy’s other recognitions make it abundantly cleared that he is considered an elite player and defender in the league.