It’s advisable to not read too much into preseason, but Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is off to an incredible start thus far.
As nice as it is to see the Utah Jazz back in action, fans have to remember to temper their emotions during preseason. After all, due to reduced minutes for stars, ever-changing rotations and an overall lack of motivation, it isn’t the best indicator of how a team will fare in the regular season.
Such can definitely be applied to Utah’s resounding win over the Toronto Raptors. Although they beat a team that figures to be one of the best in the East by 15 points, it wasn’t all that convincing of a victory. The Jazz struggled mightily in the second quarter, and benefited from both Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard sitting out the second half and logging only about 18 minutes apiece.
Again, it’s preseason, so no need to overreact, but in spite of the win, the Jazz showed that they have some areas they really need to clean up.
But one aspect of their play thus far that has been incredible has been the performance of Rudy Gobert. The sixth-year center has already appeared dominant in preseason play and looks as if he’s in midseason form.
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In his two preseason contests up to this point, he’s put up 13 and 14 points, respectively, in an average of just 20.5 minutes per game. He shot 6-of-7 in the first contest and 4-of-5 in the second for an average shooting percentage of 83.3 percent – an astounding figure. In the pair of games, he’s also averaged 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, thanks to the five rejections he posted against Toronto.
Those may not blow you out of the water at face value, but remember they’re coming at an extremely low minutes per game by Rudy’s standards. If we look at his numbers per-36 (just as a reference, he averaged 32.4 minutes per game last season), I think you’ll realize just how incredible they are. In the two preseason contests so far, his per-36 marks have been 23.7 points, 16.7 rebounds and 4.4 blocks.
Not to mention, his per-36 plus/minus has been plus-37.8, and his overall defensive rating has been a mind-blowing 63.8 while his net rating has been 43.6.
Rudy Gobert isn't a fan of taking shortcuts towards winning NBA championships pic.twitter.com/93T1SzSetU
— Jazz Nation (@JazzNationCP) September 26, 2018
Now, I’m well aware that these numbers have come against the Perth Wildcats, a team severely lacking in basketball talent, and a Toronto Raptors squad that hardly played its best players, but those are still undeniably solid figures. Do I think Rudy will be able to maintain those throughout the regular season? Of course not. That defensive rating is bone-chilling, and in no way sustainable, unfortunately.
But Rudy’s play has gone beyond just those out-of-this-world numbers. He was feisty in both contests, and extremely active on defense. He swiped the ball away from Jonas Valanciunas a number of times and clearly had him frustrated. He forced both the Wildcats and Raptors into incredibly tough shots and asserted his authority in the paint.
His efficiency on offense, albeit in a small sample size, has been impressive as well. Gobert made it a point to improve on that end of the floor in preparation for the upcoming season, and early indications are that he’s done just that.
Gobert’s been a constant force for the Jazz on defense, and has made more of an impact on offense than he gets credit for, but if his offensive assertion and efficiency can take a further leap in 2018-19, he’ll be able to raise the Jazz to a new level entirely.
Of course, it’s early and preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, but there’s no denying that Rudy Gobert looks incredible so far. And Utah Jazz fans should be absolutely elated at the prospect of what he can become. Getting Rudy off to a fast start is a key aspect of this upcoming season that I’ve identified for the Jazz, so this is beyond an encouraging sign.
Not only that, but as Gobert aims to defend his Defensive Player of the Year Award, and disprove the GMs that spurned him in the recent release of the NBA GM Survey, expect him to continue to build off the electrifying start he’s gotten off to and have a dominant campaign in 2018-19.