With the departure of Gordon Hayward, the Utah Jazz will rely on Rudy Gobert more than ever before. Where does he rank among the best big men in team history?
Gordon Hayward may have been the lone All-Star on the Utah Jazz roster last season, but Rudy Gobert is, was and will continue to be the franchise’s most important player. His emergence following the Enes Kanter trade altered the team’s trajectory like few before him.
Without his contributions, the Jazz don’t win 51 games and a division title en route to the 2017 NBA Playoffs. The fact that he’s signed with the team through 2021 eases the blow of Hayward’s departure in a major way.
Following what was a career season for Gobert, Jazz Nation is wondering just how far the Frenchman can go in his basketball career, how far he can take the Jazz and where he’ll ultimately rank among the best five-men to play in Utah.
While the center position isn’t the strongest in the annals of Jazz lore, some pretty talented pivot men have manned the paint for the team throughout its history.
Here’s how I see those players shaping up; the top five centers ever to wear a Utah Jazz uniform.
Next: 5. Al Jefferson