![]() 24, allowing only 96.2 points per 100 possessions. With Gobert as the catalyst, the Jazz are 23-4 since Jan. The Jazz, left for dead by many after going 4-11 while Gobert missed a month to recover from a sprained PCL and bone bruise in his left knee, rescued their season with one of the most impressive extended stretches of defensive dominance in recent memory. The 42-32 Jazz sit in seventh place in the Western Conference standings but are closer to claiming home-court advantage in the first round than falling out of the playoff picture all together. It isn't a stretch to say that Gobert's defense, with all due respect to the surprising scoring brilliance of Rookie of the Year candidate Donovan Mitchell, is the primary reason Utah has scrapped from nine games under. "He's our most important player as far as how he anchors our team. "His presence on the floor gives us a chance," Snyder told ESPN. The Jazz have an 11-15 record when Gobert is out and are 31-17 when they have "the Utah Jazz version of Bill Russell," as general manager Dennis Lindsey referred to his big man a year ago, roaming the paint. Gobert's primary competitors this season are likely Philadelphia 76ers' center Joel Embiid (99.7 defensive rating with him, 6.5 points worse without), New Orleans' Anthony Davis (104.3 with him, 5.9 worse without) and Boston's Al Horford (100.9 with him, less than a point worse without). That on-court/off-court point differential distances Gobert from the other leading Defensive Player of the Year candidates, a list that doesn't include usual suspects Leonard, who has played only nine games, and Green, who has not been as impactful as in previous seasons. "Gobert is a defense unto himself," Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said before a loss in Utah last month. The Jazz are in a class of their own with Gobert on the court, allowing only 97.9 points per 100 possessions (the Boston Celtics, who face the Jazz on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, lead the NBA in defensive rating at 101.2). Utah is decent defensively without Gobert, giving up 105.3 points per 100 possessions, which would rank 12th in the NBA. Start with just how much better the Jazz are with the 7-foot-1 Frenchman, aka "The Stifle Tower," as the rim-protecting anchor. "There's a lot of things you don't see on the stats."īut there are plenty of stats, well beyond Gobert's 2.4 blocks per game, that back up the big man's case. ![]() Not only gets stats, it's the guy that also has an impact on his teammates and leadership. The Defensive Player of the Year is the guy that makes his team better. "I've been the most impactful player this year," Gobert told ESPN, reiterating his recent comments to local reporters that there is "no question" that he deserves the award after finishing as runner-up to Golden State's Draymond Green last season. The case for Gobert is quite simple: No defender has been more dominant or made a bigger difference for his team this season. The fact that Gobert spent nearly a third of the season wearing garish suits on the Jazz bench is the only real knock on his candidacy. San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard won his first Defensive Player of the Year after sitting out 18 games in 2014-15. There is recent precedent for a player to win the award despite missing a significant portion of the season. "I think it's an empirical fact, frankly," Snyder replied, interrupting before a question could be asked.Ĭonsider that an admittedly biased, unofficial vote for Defensive Player of the Year, an honor the Jazz are lobbying for Gobert to win, despite his missing 26 games. ![]() Rudy Gobert had just reached above the square on the backboard to swat away a potential game-tying floater in the final minute of the Utah Jazz's 21st win in 23 games - a season-salvaging stretch sparked by the center's return from a knee injury - when a reporter mentioned to Quin Snyder that the Jazz coach considered Gobert to be the NBA's most dominant defender. Gobert's DPOY push is turning Utah into the NBA's most feared defense You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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