Gobert was arguably the best rim protector in the NBA this season.
Well, this is a bit awkward. If you’ve been following our end of season awards, you’ll notice a trend — Rudy Gobert has swept every award category to this point.
Most Improved Lottery Player? Check.
Lottery Sixth Man of the Year? Check.
While it could be debated whether Gobert was the most improved player among lottery players, or was truly a sixth man (but to be fair, he did come off the bench in more games than start), there isn’t much debating his status as the best defensive lottery player in the NBA this season. A case could be made for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, he was one of the best perimeter defenders this season, and when he was out injured, Charlotte’s top ten defense was no where to be found. MKG’s defensive impact still didn’t match Gobert’s though.
First, a disclaimer. If you read the article on Gobert being named most improved, these defensive figures are going to sound familiar. They are however worth repeating, because Gobert was that good defensively for much of this season.
When Gobert became the full-time starter, Utah’s defense became one of the best in the league, allowing only 89 points a game after the All-Star break. Gobert also finished as the best rim protector in the league, allowing opponents to shoot just 40.4 percent at the rim. He saved 2.43 points per game, also best in the league. In other words, Gobert was incredibly difficult to score against in the paint, which in part was thanks to his size, length, and athleticism.
Throwing in some other defensive numbers, Gobert finished third in the league in blocks per game, second in total blocks, sixth in total rebounding, fifth in rebound percentage, and fifth in defensive rating. For the season, he averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.
The scary thing is, as impressive as Gobert was this season on defensive, he’s just 22 years old and only finishing his second season in the NBA. At this point, it isn’t far-fetched to say Gobert could be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year next season if he continues to perform at the level he did the end of the season, and if the Jazz improve on what turned out to be a surprisingly good year for a team in rebuild mode.
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