Even the most talented shot-blockers get posterized. What helps separate the best from the rest is the courage to keep contesting ambitious drives to the rim after they’ve come out on the wrong end of one.
Rudy Gobert is certainly among that group. The 7-foot-2 center emerged as one of the league’s most impactful defenders following his move to the starting lineup in 2014-15, guiding the Utah Jazz to the league’s stingiest defense over the season’s second half. He’s our (spoiler alert!) pre-training camp pick for Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16, and has only made us more confident in that prediction with his play for France at the ongoing FIBA EuroBasket.
During his country’s hard-fought 74-67 win over Russia on Wednesday, Gobert put his unmatched blend of length, timing, and explosive leaping ability to use by coming from the weak-side for this massive swat to end the first half.
Goodness. Look at how much ground the 23-year-old covers from the time Russia’s Anton Ponkrashov crosses the arc to when the two meet at the rim.
But even a monster like Gobert can’t successfully stop every foray to the paint – at least when he’s tasked with thwarting multiple actions in a matter of milliseconds.
Just a few minutes before he swallowed Ponkrashov’s runner, Gobert was the victim of poor team defense and awesome playmaking by the Russians. Due to Nando de Colo’s failure to stay attached to Dmitry Khvostov over a high ball-screen, France’s center has to commit to the ball, leading to what should be another rotation on the back-line.
But former Seattle Supersonics wing Mickael Gelabale is late with his help, forcing Gobert to not only stop the ballhandler, but also try and recover to the roller after Khvostov’s clever behind-the-back dish. It was just a bit too late, though, leading to a facial jam from Andrey Desyatnikov over basketball’s premier basket-protector.
This is hardly the first time Gobert has been on the giving and receiving ends of highlight-reel plays – remember his battle with Andrew Wiggins? – in the same game, and definitely won’t be the last, either. Having the gumption to attack penetrators over and over again is just one of the many aspects of what makes him such a devastating defender.
And combined with his unparalleled physical gifts, that attitude will have Gobert leading the defensive charge for France and the Jazz for many years to come.
