Many experts had Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert as their preseason pick for Defensive Player of the Year a few weeks ago and with good reason. Gobert and his ridiculous wingspan thrived when he took over the starter’s minutes after the trade of Enes Kanter at the February deadline last season, and so far this season he’s blocking four shots a game and opponents are shooting just 30.9 percent at the rim when he’s on the court.
None of that mattered when LeBron James came slicing down the baseline with a head of steam in Cleveland Tuesday night.
James rose up and crammed on Gobert’s head so fast the gigantic Frenchman didn’t even get a chance to jump, instead he chose to simply duck away and avoid as much damage as possible. This was the wise move. Regardless of his anticipation, the normally stout seven-footer wasn’t gonna make it in time.
