Candidate to make the biggest leap for the Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert
Yes, Rudy Gobert had a phenomenal season. He won his third Defensive Player of the Year Award, made his second All-Star Game, and was voted All-NBA Third Team. While these are all remarkable achievements, certain holes in his game shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s always room for improvement.
The whole world saw how the Clippers were able to expose Gobert on the perimeter, hitting 12 of 16 attempts from deep when he was the primary defender in Game 6. Having said that, I don’t think there is much more he can do defensively than he is already doing. His primary responsibility is and should be to protect the rim.
Where the 29-year-old needs to improve is on offense.
If teams are going to go small against the Jazz the way the Clippers did, then Utah’s 7-footer needs to make them pay. In a series where the Clippers started 6-foot-8 Nicolas Batum at the center position, Gobert averaged 12.5 points per game.
That is simply not enough for the Jazz to beat top playoff teams in the Western Conference.
If Gobert were able to develop consistent post moves to take advantage of smaller defenders, then it would go a long way in helping the Jazzmen lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.