Rudy Gobert Will Be An NBA All-Star In 2020
Jun 25, 2019, 3:58 PM
Rudy Gobert accepts the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award onstage during the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – After winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is set up to make his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game in 2020.
It’s obvious that Gobert was snubbed this past season after having a fantastic season, but he did not get the necessary votes from the NBA coaches to get the All-Star nod.
That pushed Gobert to work even harder in the second half of the regular season.
He averaged a career-best 15.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and was near his career-high in blocks at 2.3 per game. The Frenchman also set a new career-high with 67 percent shooting from the field and set the NBA single season record for dunks.
To be continued…🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/n9bRqbyIri
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) June 25, 2019
Needs Mid-Range Game
Gobert has improved every season on both ends of the floor and is the anchor of Utah’s defense. To make him even more dangerous, a consistent mid-range jump shot would only increase his ability to have a bigger impact on the floor. It creates space for Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell to drive to the basket and Gobert would still be a threat to gather offensive rebounds and get easy putbacks.
A back-to-the-basket game would be a plus for Gobert’s game as well. He doesn’t need to put all of his focus on these two things but just slowly implementing them into his game will make a big difference not only for his value on the offensive end of the floor, but it will make the Jazz a more well-rounded team offensively. Keeping his stifling defense, adding Mike Conley’s defensive abilities and Quin Snyder’s emphasis on stopping opponents will make the Jazz a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.
The Jazz big man might already be working on these things during the off-season, but he will always be known for his defense.
How He Becomes An All-Star
Getting snubbed last season showed the fans, media and the NBA as a whole that those who vote (media, fans, coaches), pick their All-Stars based off their offensive game. That became a fact with the best rim protector in the NBA not making the All-Star team.
Fans and media will vote the way that they want. But, the coaches will see the impact that Gobert has on the Jazz’s success, particularly on the defensive end and will put the big man into his first All-Star game.
Seems plain and simple with how he gets in during the 2019-20 season. The Jazz having a strong record in the first half of the season will be another advantage for Gobert. Bringing in a 12-year NBA veteran in Conley will be a major upgrade, but will take time to work out the adjustment to a new team.
It already looks like that won’t take a long time with Conley working out with Mitchell. It might only take the first 10 games of the regular season and not the first 25-30 games to get things rolling.
That is my prediction: Rudy Gobert will be an All-Star in 2020.
