Apparently, former Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has turned into Kyle Korver for Team France.
Who would have thought we’d end up here? When the Utah Jazz traded away Rudy Gobert in the summer of 2022, the belief was that despite his defensive excellence, his lack of shot-making was an issue that would hold the Utah Jazz back. Maybe Gobert would excel on a new team that didn’t need him to make shots.
Yet in Minnesota, issues arose with how Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were able, or unable as the case may be, to play together in the paint. Neither man was especially efficient at stretching the court, and it was even more apparent with Gobert and Towns in the lineup together. While Towns can shoot from behind the line, he can’t do it to such a degree that he can make up for Gobert’s entire lack of a three-point shot.
Well, Gobert shocked the world recently when he made a three-pointer in a FIBA World Cup preparation game recently, the first of his pro career. And now it appears as though the former Jazz big man has been working on this shot for some time. A new Twitter/X video appeared showing Gobert working on his three-point shot.
Leaving many to ask, ‘how long has he been working on this’?
Rudy Gobert ne rate plus rien à 3 points 🦖🔫#TeamFranceBasket | #PassionnémentBleu | #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/1i55Aslpm3
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) August 11, 2023
It’s fair to say that Gobert was not hiding another level to this game during his time with the Utah Jazz. This seems like a new and needed development to his game. And while it’s not clear if Gobert has become so efficient at shooting threes that he can now give the Timberwolves a sizeable amount of shot attempts, it is far better than he’s ever looked shooting from that deep.
And while skepticism is fair, it’s also important to remember that other bigs, like Al Horford and Brook Lopez, developed a three-point shot late into their careers too.
Horford didn’t start shooting threes for real until he was 29, while it took Lopez until he was 28.
Neither man is exceptionally good at it, but you do have to respect their shot, which is about all you can ask for a seven-foot player. So if Gobert can hit about a third of his shots, should he start taking them more frequently, then he may just fix the Timberwolves offense on his own.