Ever so changing is the landscape of the NBA. That also includes the stereotypes of certain positions and pieces of a team. One of the players that really is the epitome of one position is Rudy Gobert. Centers aren’t necessarily looked to score anymore. They are your rim protectors and primary rebounders. Well, now you’re thinking, “uh Chick, it’s always been that way, this isn’t new.” However, I think you fail to realize is that that’s only what centers are expected to do anymore.
How we determine if a Center is good or not nowadays is if they can protect the rim or if they can rebound the ball. Instead of maybe his well-rounded game outside of that, it’s almost strictly rebounding and defense for Centers. When it comes to Rudy Gobert, he’s the best at those skills. This isn’t a testament that Rudy Gobert is the best center in the league. I still think that Nikola Jokic is the best center in the league given his skill set. But, Rudy Gobert is the best rim protector and rebounder in the league, and the stats show it.
Rudy Gobert Stats
Rudy Gobert averages 15.7 PPG on 68.9% shooting, 14.5 RPG, which includes 10.9 Defensive rebounds per game. Impressively enough, his 10.9 DRPG would be enough to rank 8th in total rebounds for the league. That’s wildly impressive in itself. He ranks 5th In blocks per game for the league at 2.0. Out of those top 5 players in blocks, he has the highest RPG of the group. However, to get the full idea of his defensive presence you’d have to watch a couple of Utah Jazz games. Gobert doesn’t just only block the ball like others, but he’s contesting every shot near the paint. That’s just something that won’t show up on the stat sheet. He barely ever steps outside the paint but always avoids the Defensive 3 Seconds in the Key violation. It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch his defensive presence.
Rudy Gobert is a player that new players coming into the league should idolize if they are looking to be that defensive presence. Centers in the league now and those upcoming should see him and realize he’s the best at what he does. Clint Capela should be more like Rudy Gobert, he just needs to work on his offensive game more. Rudy is what most teams look for in the league now in terms of centers. Of course, you have your rare exception with Nikola Jokic, who just does it all. But you want that rim protector and tenacious rebounder. It’s almost key to success for teams. Luckily for the Jazz, they have the best in the game when it comes to that.
