2 studs and 1 dud from Utah Jazz win over Cleveland Cavaliers

Utah Jazz stud: Rudy Gobert

If we based these distinctions solely on scoring, you’d be waiting another slide to see Gobert’s name. He finished this game with 6 points. Luckily, everything else matters too, and Gobert dominated a team full of big men in the paint in Sunday’s contest.

The Stifle Tower finished this game with 20 rebounds and 5 blocks. It almost appeared as if he recognized that for the Utah Jazz to secure this victory, he’d have to deliver in the traditional center categories.

In particular, those rebounds did not come easily, as Gobert found himself in the middle of a lot of hard fought battles for interior positioning. The combined length and basketball IQ of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is downright imposing, but Gobert was determined to be the best 7 footer on the floor all evening.

His output allowed the Jazz to draw in the rebounding category, as each team collected 46 misses. Allen finished with 10, Mobley finished with 12, and Gobert finished with almost as many as the two combined.

Gobert deserves extra credit for adjusting his typical offensive strategy. He recognized that this Cavs team is not built for him to dominate with dunks and layups, so he leaned even harder than usual into screen assists. With the ball whirling around the perimeter on the Jazz’s end, Gobert kept himself in the action by screening on and off ball on nearly every possession. He was a factor on offense whether the box score proves it or not.

Gobert now averages 14.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on the year. With a relatively low points per game average, he’s unlikely to come away with the league’s MVP trophy. With that said, he’s certainly worthy of consideration.