Rudy Gobert On The Jazz Finding An Identity And The Frustrations Of Being A Defensive Star


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Rudy Gobert is one of the NBA’s top defensive players, finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season behind Draymond Green and ahead of Kawhi Leonard.

With Gordon Hayward departing for Boston this summer, Gobert finds himself as the top star on the Utah Jazz. Gobert’s 2017-18 campaign was slowed by a knee injury that kept him out for three weeks, but he has recently returned to anchor one of the NBA’s top defenses and rejoin a team that, after a rough patch, seems to have hit its stride a bit in the West.

Gobert spoke with Dime Magazine on Wednesday as he promoted an upcoming Twitter giveaway for fans (@rudygobert27) that he’s partnering with Destiny 2 on. We, naturally, discussed video games, but also talked about his health, what he thinks led to the Jazz’s surge towards the end of his rehab, the frustrations of being a defensive star in an offense obsessed league, and what’s impressed him about Utah’s emerging star in rookie Donovan Mitchell.

When did you start getting into gaming and why is Destiny 2 one of your favorites?

I started playing my first time when I was four years old. My brother used to play the Super Nintendo and all that stuff, so I got into that when I was really young and then I just started discovering my own games and getting my own style. I think when Destiny 1 came out, I just started to play and I really loved it. I spent a lot, a lot of time playing this game and so I was really excited for a second one.

What system do you play on?

I play more Xbox, because most of my friends are on Xbox. I don’t think it makes a big difference, you know, but it’s just about being able to play with my friends.

Do you play mostly at home when you’re in Utah, or are you a guy that brings his system on the road for long trips?

I haven’t done it this year, but I did it last year for sure and the year before. I used to bring my Xbox and we’d play in the hotel. Especially when you’re on a long road trip and there are cities where you don’t know anyone, it’s a good way to spend some free time.

Who are the other guys on the Jazz that are into video games that you play with?

The biggest one would be Dante Exum. He really, really loves video games. I mean, a lot of guys play video games, but the guys that are like online gamers, uh, also Raul Neto. I got him into it. I know Jonas Jerebko plays a lot, but he’s more of a computer guy, so he plays on PC.

You’re doing a Destiny 2 giveaway for fans on Twitter, how did that all come about?

It’s all about showing how big a fan I am of the game and also just try to make something fun. It’s a great opportunity to mix basketball and video games, and there’s going to be one or two fans that get a signed jersey and a signed copy of the game, which is great.

Social media’s become a way where you get to interact with fans, but also fellow players. I feel like especially this year we’ve seen more back and forth and trash talk on Twitter between guys. How much fun do you have with that, especially with some of the other guys in the NBA with how active they are on Twitter and such?

It’s fun. Social media’s a way to express yourself, and you know, we are all competitors and sometimes you just want to — you know, for me it’s fun. It’s never really personal. I don’t know these guys enough to get personal with them. It’s just fun. When I see things that make me laugh I like to express it sometimes. It’s like I said, at the end of the day, basketball is a game and if you never have fun then your life’s going to be boring.

The center position’s seen a renaissance of sorts in recent years. Do you take pride in being one of the guys that’s bringing the center position back to the forefront of the league in a game that’s become increasingly spread out?

For sure. To me the center position is one of, if not the most important position in basketball. We can impact the game in many, many ways that maybe guards doesn’t or a wing doesn’t. I think it’s great that we have a lot of young talented players at this moment that are growing into stars and superstars.

As someone who is such a strong defender and who prides himself in being one of the best defensive players in the NBA, is there ever any frustration with not feeling like you get enough accolades or respect for being as dominant as you are on the floor if you don’t necessarily put up the huge offensive numbers?

I mean, for sure it’s frustrating. But the way our league works, the way the marketing works, they’re not going to show highlights of someone that makes another player score zero points. They’re going to show highlights of the guy that makes nice moves and dunks and crossovers. That’s the way it works. At the same time, I put my pride into winning and making my team better. That’s the most important thing to me. If people can’t recognize that then, really, they don’t know much about basketball.

You’re now two games back from your knee injury after a back-to-back, so how are you feeling healthwise and what did you see from the team in your absence, things seemed to pick up the last couple weeks, that have you excited moving forward?

I’m feeling good. Yesterday [against OKC] was pretty rough at the end of the game. I think we all felt tired at the end of the game, but the knee is fine and today was a good day to recover and get ready for tomorrow.

For the team, it was fun. It was fun to watch. I think when I went down it took a few games to adjust, and then everyone started to realize they needed to raise their level. And that’s what they did. They all started to play with a little more pride individually and play with more connectivity, especially defensively. And I think we’ve found our identity on the defensive end. We couldn’t find ourselves earlier and we realized that we’re going to be a high energy team and a team that shares the ball and drive and kick and put pressure on the rim. We, I think, are the best or second best defensive team in that time.

What is it like being a team that plays a little slower and is known as a defensive team, when you see so many around the league trying to play faster and trying to launch threes? Is there an advantage when you can dictate the pace and take teams out of their element?

I think it’s all about winning. We just have to know your style. Know what kind of style you want to play and know your strengths, and then you do what’s best for you. If you have a lot of shooters, then you know that you’re not going to get as many stops and you’re going to have to try and push the pace and make shots. For us, we know we have one of the best defenses in the league, so we know we need to get stops and then play off our defense. We know we can be very good defensively, as we showed, and we have to understand how and why and keep getting better at it.

Finally, you’ve got a really talented rookie on the squad this year in Donovan Mitchell. How impressed have you been with him coming into the league, having the impact he’s had, and how important has that been for y’all this year considering losing Hayward and having some new pieces involved that he’s taken on a big role as a rookie?

The thing that’s impressed me the most is on the defensive end. I remember myself as a rookie, I was a little scared, you know, a little anxious about trying things and he’s just confident. He’s not scared of the moment. He’s not afraid of anyone or anything and he wants to win and get better. So that’s the thing as a basketball player that’s the most important thing you can have. I’m making sure that he’s not getting carried away and staying focused on the right things and keeps growing as a player.

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