Rudy Gobert Fundamentally Sound This Year

Jan 18, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) shoots the ball as San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) defends during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Rudy Gobert began his career in the NBA looking like a baby giraffe wearing ice skates, out of his element while towering over everyone with flailing limbs, unable to find his footing. There were times he appeared to be one of those crazy-arms inflatable creatures in front of lube stop, randomly waving. He’s come a long way in only 1,400 NBA minutes.

The difference between last year and this staggering really. Rudy Gobert is now fundamentally sound, comfortable in his environment, under control of his limbs, mind and patrolling the paint as if he were wearing combat boots on a mission.

The first lessons Gobert learned in meager minutes as a rookie in 2013-14 were basic ones, fundamental: three seconds in the paint, goal-tending (it took him a minute to adjust from FIBA rim rules where you can grab a ball over the cylinder), lane violations and moving screens with hip checks. Making fundamental mistakes like these will keep you from the floor.

Rudy Gobert’s ample arms shoot out like the predatory tentacles of a preying squid, latching onto the target with two massive suction cups

He corrected them quickly. With a basic understanding of rules of the game and how it’s called in the NBA out of the way, Gobert could start focusing on making an impact.

Only it’s hard to make a meaningful impact when you give the ball away as often as he did last year. Rudy Gobert fouled too much, shuffled his feet too many times, presented the basketball on a platter to opposing guards and handled passes and rebounds like he was wearing oven mitts. If Rudy Gobert was ever to truly make an impact and become even a rotation player in the NBA he’d have to reign in these shortcomings in his game.

Some of these facets take years to master. For instance, teammate Derrick Favors struggled for a long time with how to balance having a defensive impact on the game while also staying on the floor. It wasn’t until there was a third of last NBA season remaining that he managed to do so, a feat Gobert seems to have pulled off in a summer.

Gobert’s personal fouls rate dropped from 4.7 per 36 minutes to a paltry 3.2 in 2014-15. Now, instead of giving possessions to opponents with fouls, he’s creating possession opportunities for his teammates with deflections, blocks and deterring basketballs from finding more than a little iron or glass on shots.

For years I’d grumble at Enes Kanter for garnering a rebound then bringing the ball down to his waist before doing whatever he planned to do with it. Rudy Gobert did the same thing last season, often going up for a ball, then bringing it down to where players much more diminutive than he had a chance to swipe at it. The result was often a turnover ending in a transition opportunity.

This year, when Gobert goes up to get the ball he tends to keep it up there in the stratosphere where few others can challenge him for it. This makes for a big swing in points for the Utah Jazz. And again, an improvement made to his fundamentals in short order. We talk about how bright some of Utah’s players are, but Gobert is picking up on gains to his game in a much shorter time frame than many of his ‘mates have.

This year, when Gobert goes up to get the ball he tends to keep it up there in the stratosphere where few others can challenge him for it

Good hands aren’t something you can learn so easily. It tends to be one of things you either have or don’t. Last year we worried it was something Gobert didn’t possess and may never. Despite scouting reports of his having soft, large hands that made for excellent targets for his passers to aim for, Gobert fumbled a lot of balls out of bounds or into the waiting arms of opponents as a rookie.

In particular, teams targeted the French giant with double-teams as a frosh, coming away with the rock as often as not. Now, Rudy Gobert has his head on a swivel at all times and clamps down on the ball with both of his ten inch grappling claws when making a move.

When getting a pass on a cut or roll to the bucket Rudy Gobert’s ample arms shoot out like the predatory tentacles of a preying squid, latching onto the target with two massive suction cups instead of flailing, inflatable limbs with boxing gloves on the the end of them.

Alex Kennedy noted how good Gobert’s court vision is already as well, in his outstanding look at the Utah Jazz’s draft steal.

"While Gobert’s blocks and dunks get most of the attention, his passing has been impressive as well. He has drastically improved as a passer and decision-maker, which has allowed him to handle the ball at the elbows at times and create for others. While he still has room to improve as a facilitator, he has made big strides this year – evident by his assist percentage increasing from 2.4 to 8.1. Many of his assists come from handing the ball off and screening a defender to give his teammate an open shot.–Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders"

Rudy Gobert makes for a formidable wall from which to find an open jumper from, 17 times setting a screen for either Gordon Hayward or Trey Burke that ended in a basket, most times a three.

Gobert has found Dante Exum six more times on similar sets, with “X” returning the favor 12 times. In particular, the Jazz’s two Aussies, Exum and Joe Ingles have developed a chemistry on the court with Gobert, the pair finding him a moving target 34 times already this season, often ending in spectacular fashion at the rim after he sets a solid, legal screen on the high block.

The steps Rudy Gobert has taken in only 45 games this season as compared to last are truly as gigantic as his gait.