Rudy Gobert left his imprint on the Utah Jazz legacy. It's fair to say that he is the best defender in franchise history (no small feat knowing they had Mark Eaton), one of the best defenders of his era, and one of the best the NBA has ever seen.
It's not just that he's as good as he is on that end, but how long he's been able to maintain his status as one of the NBA's best defenders.
It's not like there aren't warts to his game, but two facts remain from both his days with the Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves: One, hardly anyone has ever had the same individual defensive impact as him, and two, his teams win. It'd be easier to name the teams Gobert hasn't made the playoffs with compared to the ones he has.
All of this further supports The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov's point that , as he put it, Gobert is a near-lock to make the Basketball Hall of Fame.
"He has won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, made three All-Star teams, twice led the league in blocks and is generally recognized as one of the best defensive players of his era... With a resume like that, Gobert should likely get in, especially when you include his international accomplishments (two Olympic silver medals), but it’s hard to say that definitively."
Vorkunov also called Gobert's candidacy "controversial," likely hinting at his offensive shortcomings. Even so, his resume is clearly impressive enough for him to attain the biggest honor as a basketball player. If and when he does, that says a lot about his Jazz legacy too.
If Gobert gets in the HOF, his number should be retired in Utah
Gobert was not only one of the best players in Jazz history, but he never turned on the Jazz. The only traded him because they knew their time as playoff contenders with him on the team was over. Even with that, he was consistently loyal to the team.
You can't say the same about Deron Williams, who absolutely burned that bridge before Utah traded him in 2011. He has done everything he can to repair that relationship, and even then, there appears to be no plans on retiring his number, despite being the best player on the best Jazz team without Karl Malone or John Stockton.
Because of Gobert's part in one of the most enjoyable eras of Jazz basketball, he absolutely deserves to see his No. 27 go up in the rafters. If the Jazz are going to retire players like Eaton and Jeff Horaneck, Gobert should absolutely get his up there with him.
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