Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert
C, 7’1, 245lbs, 25 years old, 4 years of experience

Didn’t win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Should have done. Gobert is a ridiculous defensive centre, able to cover ground on all areas of the court with his length and footwork better than…well, possibly anyone before him. The .682% true shooting percentage and 21.8% rebounding percentage don’t go amiss, either.

Player Plan: Begins his $94 million extension this summer. Best centre in the game, and he won’t even be getting the max. Tremendous.

Utah ­- Rudy Gobert: Also recalled this week, Gobert's D­League career is off to a great start. Averaging 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game, Gobert simply is not raw as advertised. Notwithstanding his slightly awkward start to his NBA career, Gobert is showing in the D­League that such a combination of size, agility and touch rarely fails ­ he still needs to get tougher, work on his positioning, cut down on his clumsiness and further hone his skills, but Gobert can play.

Rudy Gobert

Much is made of Gobert's physical profile, as well it should be, because it's immense. Standing 7'2 with a 7'8 wingspan and a 9'7 standing reach, Gobert can almost dunk without jumping, and could indeed jump without dunking if the basket support was broken and sagged slightly to a height of about 9'5. Compare this to, say, Malik Allen, who has a standing reach of only 9'1, and it's readily apparent and indisputably true that Gobert is taller than Malik Allen. So, there's that. Of course, he is also too thin and frail, and seems as though he always will be. And skill wise, he's mostly limited to catching, finishing, and getting in the way (which is both a skill and a curse). Nevertheless, those things all translate. The upside might be that of Andris Biedrins. Or Alexis Ajinca. We'll know in three years.