Utah Jazz stud: Rudy Gobert
If you’re playing for or against the Utah Jazz, good luck grabbing a rebound. Rudy Gobert is trying to claim a monopoly on them.
The Stifle Tower finished this game with 17 points, 21 rebounds and 2 blocks. As always, Gobert dominated inside. What was special about this performance, however, was that one of his opponents has the potential to do the same, and failed to.
Gobert largely neutralized 76ers star Joel Embiid throughout this game. He finished with 19 points on 8/18 shooting, and a relatively modest 9 rebounds.
Nobody could deny that Joel Embiid is a more talented offensive player than Gobert. He’s a reasonably effective three-point shooter with a much more sophisticated post-up and face-up game. It simply doesn’t matter when Gobert is able to shut him down like he did last night.
That’s not often a part of Gobert’s job description. In an increasingly guard and wing dominated league, Gobert is usually responsible for anchoring the team’s defense, occupying the middle and shutting down any opponent that dares to attempt a dunk or a layup.
Last night, Gobert actually had to pay mind to his individual matchup, and he was marvelous. He blanketed Embiid at every opportunity, stifling several field goal attempts that the star center would generally convert.
Gobert dominated a superstar matchup, and the interior as a whole in this contest. If that doesn’t earn him stud status, it’s difficult to imagine what could.