Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert Receives High Praise From Players Around the League

Rudy Gobert is putting up an incredible season for the Utah Jazz and several players around the league have taken notice.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is starting to make waves across the league. Sure, you’ve heard all the cliches – Utah is too small of a market, Gobert isn’t on the national stage enough, he wasn’t even an All-Star this year, and so on and so forth.

While there’s truth to be found in those and similar statements, the fact of the matter is that given that the Jazz will be either the fourth or fifth seed in the West and that they boast one of the best defenses in the league anchored by none other than Rudy Gobert himself, he and his Jazz team are no longer able to be ignored.

I suppose you could say that the rising center has finally caused the league to #TakeNote.

He’s become one of the main contenders for Defensive Player of the Year in practically every conversation. He’s emerging in many spheres as an All-NBA worthy candidate, perhaps even besting teammate and All-Star Gordon Hayward by earning that honor.

In other words, while it may be well overdue especially considering that several Jazz fans felt that Rudy was snubbed from the All-Star game, there’s no denying that Rudy is now finally starting to garner significant attention. While there was an argument for his missing the All-Star game at the time, he’s elevated his play to an entirely different level since then and has looked absolutely unstoppable.

Therefore, all the well-deserved praise and clout that Gobert has received from the media has been a welcome sign. Jazz fans have known for quite some time how impactful and downright special of a player Rudy is, but slowly but surely the NBA’s national following is beginning to realize it as well.

But what I love to see even more than fans or the media respecting Rudy’s game is seeing other players lauding him with praise for his formidable play. In a recent HoopsHype article by Alex Kennedy, he talks about how Gobert has flown under the radar but has also earned his peers’ respect. If you haven’t read it yet, it is an absolute must-read. You can find it at the link in the tweet below:

There are several quotes from fellow NBA players praising Gobert in Kennedy’s piece and truly you ought to read them all, but I thought I’d highlight a few in particular here.

From Garrett Temple of the Sacramento Kings:

"“He is the best shot-blocker in the game. He is the one big I worry may block my jump shot when I come off of a pick-and-roll, even if he’s playing back from me. And he changes three times as many shots as he actually blocks.”"

From Portland’s Moe Harkless:

"“You literally try to know where he is at all times when you’re around the rim because he has good timing and can cover so much ground. He makes Utah’s defense really, really good.”"

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Larry Nance, Jr. added:

"“What makes him so good is that Utah’s defense funnels offenses into the paint, which seems like the opposite of what you’d want to do, but it works because Rudy covers so much ground in there.”“It’s not just his blocked shots either; it’s all of the shots that he alters that makes him so good. He just covers so much more area than other centers.”"

Several players quoted in Kennedy’s piece also blatantly stated that Gobert deserves the Defensive Player of the Year award. My favorite one came from the Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner:

"“At this point, he is the Defensive Player of the Year. I’ll always vote for bigs. And he’s making better reads offensively too, like out of the pick-and-roll. His length creates problems for teams, especially disrupting the teams that thrive in the paint.”"

On a personal note, Nance and Turner are two of my favorite non-Jazz players in the NBA, so I was especially thrilled to see both of them speak about Rudy with such high acclaim.

Truly the list of players and coaches throughout the season who have had high praise for Rudy Gobert goes on and on as he has proven to be more and more of a threat. However, one recent instance definitely caught my attention more than usual.

Following Utah’s impressive win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday, even Kevin Durant had a lot of respectful things to say about Gobert. Given that Durant’s teammate, Draymond Green, is Gobert’s main competition for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, it was more than a little surprising to hear Durant openly praise him.

Throw in the fact that Durant and the Warriors are more reputed for slighting rather than praising their opponents and his words become even more astonishing.

Here’s what KD had to say:

I love the fact that Durant admits that Gobert has exceeded his expectations. I guarantee that’s the case even among the majority of the Jazz faithful.

So from both the media and, in even more impressive fashion, from his NBA peers Rudy Gobert is finally beginning to receive the recognition he deserves. Given his play this year, especially in the latter part of the season, and how he has evolved into Utah’s most important player and the lifeblood of the team, it was certainly well overdue.

More from The J-Notes

• With the FIBA World Cup over for Simone Fontecchio, it’s clear he deserves minutes for the Utah Jazz
• Best, Worst and Most likely scenarios for the Utah Jazz this season
• Hoops Hype downplays the significance of the Utah Jazz’s valuable assets
• 3 Utah Jazz players who have the most to gain or lose this season
• Former Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay is a free agent still and it shouldn’t surprise anyone

However, for the most part, just as Alex Kennedy pointed out in the piece referenced earlier, Gobert is still flying under the radar. With the playoffs just around the corner and an upcoming first-round match-up between the Stifle Tower and the more well-known All-Star DeAndre Jordan though, Gobert will have an excellent opportunity to break out and prove himself on the national stage.

If the Jazz are going to have any hope of beating the Clippers, a team they’ve struggled with for several seasons now, they’re going to have to benefit from incredible performances out of Rudy Gobert. He’s turned in many such performances this season, to the point where he’s exhilarated fans, the media and fellow players alike.

But doing that in the regular season simply isn’t enough. Now it’s time he propels himself fully into the limelight by showcasing his electrifying skills where the stakes are at their highest – in the playoffs.