Utah Jazz: 3 things Rudy Gobert must do to be an All-Star again

3. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert must thrive against small-ball

The whole world saw that Rudy Gobert struggled against the smaller lineups of the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. For what felt like the first time in a season where the Utah Jazz had the best record in the league, the squad showed a glaring weakness. And the Clippers were able to expose it.

Other teams will likely try to replicate the Clippers game plan and force Gobert to guard smaller, nimbler players than those he’s accustomed to seeing. Luckily, Utah’s offseason acquisitions of Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall will allow the Jazz to counter with some small-ball of their own, so there won’t be as much pressure on Gobert as in years prior.

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However, for Gobert to show he’s truly one of the league’s best big men, he’ll need to show that he can expose teams that routinely go small against him by punishing them in the paint. That’s something he wasn’t able to do in last year’s playoffs, where he averaged 12.5 points per game against the Clippers.

While the new season is young, it’s worth noting that Rudy Gobert seems to be at the top of his game so far, averaging 18.0 points and 17.8 rebounds through the team’s first four games. He’s well on his way to another All-Star Game appearance.