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Will he become a Deandre Jordan with a French accent? An all-star? He has essentially everything you need from a modern-day center position. The Jazz have something dearly special here. Can he be the best player from his draft class? (2013)

Standing 7’2” and possessing the third-highest recorded wingspan (7’8.5”) in NBA Draft Combine history, 20-year-old Rudy Gobert is a gift from the basketball gods and a force to be reckoned with.

Gobert has incredibly soft hands, which in addition to his phenomenal wingspan give his guards an incredibly large radius they can throw the ball to around the basket. He catches virtually anything thrown his way, making him a terrific target for lobs, which helps explain his excellent efficiency. He's solid on the offensive glass, pulling down 3.7 offensive rebounds per-40, which ranked among the top-15 players in Pro A. In addition to that, he also converts his free throw attempts at a decent clip (70%), which is surely a good sign for the future.

Obligatory Frenchman's Euro-Step:



Gobert abusing Timberwolves players tonight:

A more agile Hibbert without the mental instability.

dorkestra wrote:A more agile Hibbert without the mental instability.

This is a great comparison. Like Hibbert he has great dexterity and touch for his size.

Getting Gobert at 27 was highway robbery.

I like what I have seen so far. Not sure what his ceiling is, but he has the tools to be really good rim protector and just flat out best defensive center in league, can he do it? time will tell... Looks like he needs to add some strength, but that will come with time.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t9i0E0g7bY[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3GoJoE_UGc[/youtube]

From what I've seen he's a solid defender.

He was the key player in the 2014 France-Spain FIBA quarter finals match where France upset Spain. I remember watching him smothering Pau Gasol and even outright blocking his shots. It doesn't show up in the box scores but he changed that game.

Javale McGee with a brain

His ceiling is defensive player of the year and one of the best overall players in the NBA.

For those that have never heard of him- He is by far the league leader in blocks/min. He is top 10 in rebs/min. Although Gobert can't actually shoot yet, he has one of the best TS% in the NBA. Already Gobert is one of the best defenders in the NBA. When Gobert is out the Jazz are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. When he plays they are one of the best. He is doing this well despite having the equivalent of only a half-season of NBA experience. In a few years he could be a monster.

Camby?

He's a great prospect. I don't know what his ultimate ceiling is, but he's certainly better than many people think or thought. He has all the tools to be a beast in this league.

I don't think he's as explosive as Javale McGee is, but he's much more disciplined and tuned-in. He's got a lot of motor and moves really well for a guy that size. He might already be the best rim protector in the league right now.

He's also a very good defensive rebounder, despite needing to get a bit stronger. It's to the point that Favors' and Kanter's rebound numbers are down because Gobert is taking more than his share.

Was completely hopeless on offense last year, but has developed an alright drop step.

Had 11 pts 5 reb 5 blocks in the 3rd quarter alone against Minnesota tonight. Only done twice since 2002.

I can't wait till Walter Tavares comes to the Hawks from Europe.

His ceiling could be Marc Gasol with more boards and blocks. He already has more rebounds and blocks as Marc now and same amount of steals. He has the same amount of steals. He shoots 70% from ft, same as Marc did in his second year. This tells me he has the ability to develop a jump shot. He can also pass very well. His shooting and passing ability requires Utah to use him in offense more, it also requires him to improve his dribbling skills but he's already impressive running the fast break with the ball.

SO yeah, very high, but ceilings are rarely ever reached.

id love to have him on my team

OK, time for one of my slightly homerish Gobert posts. Gobert is a monster at 22 and the only truly untouchable player the Jazz have, he is finally getting minutes as last year he only played 45 games and usually just a few minuters per night.

Tonight was just his 3rd start and he had 13pts, 11 boards, 6 blocks, 1 ast, 1 stl. He is currently rated the best defender in the NBA at the rim already. He was 4th and has moved up the more minutes he has gotten and is just slightly ahead of Bogut (the top 6 are Gobert, Bogut, Hibbert, Ibaka, and Howard):
[url]http://stats.nba.com/tracking/#!/player/defense/?sort=FGP_DEFEND_RIM&dir=-1&CF=MIN*G*15%7CBLK*G*1[/url]

The opponents are shooting 38.9% at the rim when Gobert is on the floor. The Jazz defend 12.9 points per 100 possessions better when Rudy is on the floor as opposed to when he isn't. That is an insane number and I don't think anyone else in the NBA is close. If you aren't familiar with how big that is... the difference between the best defensive team (the Warriors) and the worst (the Lakers) is 13.5 points per 100 possessions. The exciting thing about Rudy is how agile he is for his size. He could be like an Eaton that you don't have to hide on offense. Jerry Sloan watches the Jazz pre draft workouts and one of the reasons that the Jazz drafted Rudy is Sloan said he has never seen a guy that size with the motor that Gobert has.

Maybe the most exciting aspect of Rudy's game is his passing and FT shooting. He is a much better passer than I thought he could be. He was dunked on earlier this year (it wasn't the Vince Carter one) and they asked him about it after the game, and he said "I would still jump the next time to try and block that dunk." I think he would really benefit having a player who could throw and setup a decent lob pass, as he is not utilized very well with that, and that isn't one of Trey's strengths. He is already a top 10 offensive rebounder by pct and a decent defensive rebounder, but if he adds some weight, he won't be pushed around as much, and could improve even more.

Yao Ming without the foot problems hopefully.

Baddy Chuck wrote:Camby?

Yeah I see Camby in him too. Both put their length to their advantage. Just needs to develop a jumpshot

Camby put up empty stats some seasons though but still a defensive beast

Tall lanky guys like Gobert just needs more mass and strength to fully taken advantage of their physical gifts, this guy has gotten bigger and stronger since being drafted. he weighed 238 lbs in his draft year and now is pushing over 250 with more room to grow, he has been holding his position in the post and has resulted in more rebounds and whole lot of altered/block shots, another 10-20 more lbs of muscle and this guy will be beasting and feasting on the low block.

Gobert and Exum are really fun to watch. Rudy absolutely abused Al Horford the other night, there were plays where players went up for shots, saw Gobert, panicked and tried to pass the ball out only to turn it over. He is more mobile than Hibbert (impressive), and he is a 7-2 player who can Eurostep, which is pretty funny to watch. I think Tyson Chandler is the best comparison. Or a Chandler-Hibbert hybrid. Offensively he probably won't be anything special (10-14ppg), but defensively he already has a gigantic impact. Him next to Favors is absolutely terrifying (although we rarely see it).