Utah Jazz: Can Rudy Gobert stifle Marc Gasol, Memphis?
The Utah Jazz look to make it five straight wins and 10 straight on the road when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies. To do so, the Stifle Tower will battle Marc Gasol.
Since Rudy Gobert returned to the court on January 19, the Utah Jazz have gone 17-4. Gobert is playing like the All-NBA Center he was last season and, if not for the two injuries that sidelined him, would most likely be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Jazz are simply a much better team when The Stifle Tower is on the floor. Gobert leads the league in Defensive Win Shares and the Jazz have a Defensive Rating of 98.9 when Gobert is on the court. 98.9 is an elite mark; the Boston Celtics have the best D-Rating in the NBA at 101.4 which is a full 2.5 lower Utah’s with Gobert.
On the flip side, the team’s opponent on Friday — the Memphis Grizzlies — have 33-year-old Marc Gasol.
While the Grizz are riding a 15-game losing streak as primary players in the #Tankathon pool, Gasol is still one of the better centers in the league. The last time the Jazz and Grizzlies squared off on February 7, Gasol went off for 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal. The 20 points did come on a relatively inefficient 7-for-20 shooting, however.
For his part, Gobert was only able to score eight points on 1-of-5 shooting. He did notch 12 rebounds and two blocks, though. Whether Gobert’s ofensive struggles were due to Gasol’s defensive presence or because he simply had an off night is debatable.
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Gasol remains a formaidable performer in the frontcourt, but Gobert has found success against him past match-ups. In 10 head-to-head games, Gobert is averaging 10 points, 12 boards and two blocks per contest. Meanwhile, Gasol has connected on less than 41 percent of his field goal attempts over that span and has been kept off the glass at times.
Moreover, the stifling Jazz defense and Memphis’ draft-night aspirations essentially negate anything positive Gasol brings to the table for the Grizzlies. Memphis is NOT good this year without Mike Conley; a shell of the former Grit n’ Grind Grizz.
In short, the Jazz should handily defeat the Grizzlies on Friday night no matter how well Gasol plays.