On the night of the 2013 NBA Draft, center Rudy Gobert from France was selected with the 27th pick. After joining the team, Rudy Gobert did not get many opportunities at first, and it was not until the team traded Tanhua center Kante to the Thunder that Gobert began to rise.
From the moment he made the starting list, Gobert was included in the discussion of top defenders. So far, Gobert's career average is 12.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and the shooting percentage is 64.5%. In the past 20/21 regular season, Gobert averaged 14.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, shooting 67.5% from the field.
In terms of personal honors, Gobert was temporarily selected as an All-Star twice, once in the second team, two times in the third team, and four times in the first defense. When you see this headline, there may be many fans who think that it is a bit premature to discuss whether Gobert will be a Hall of Fame-level center now, and even sensationalism.
However, this is not necessarily the case. Because in this era of small ball, which is heavy on offense and defense, and it is increasingly difficult for defensive players to survive, Gobert has used his on-field performance to become the recognized first defensive person in at least five years.
In NBA history, almost never before has a top defensive player been able to excel so well and so much for his contemporaries, and Gobert did it against the tide, which is quite guaranteed for the induction into the Hall of Fame in terms of story and legend.
Taking the data of the past seven seasons as a statistical reference, the Jazz's defensive efficiency value, the real shooting percentage value of the opponent, and the rebounding rate of the three teams are the first in the league, which shows that the Jazz are the best defensive teams in the league during this period, and the number one contributor in defense is naturally the French giant Tagobert.
Looking back at the statistical history of the NBA, the beginning of the statistics of personal high-level defensive data began about 20 years ago, including Big Ben, Howard, Paul, Garnett, Mutombo and other heroes have occupied the top spot of the season.
In the past 20/21 season, Gobert has won the record of the highest five single high-level defensive data in one fell swoop (the defensive efficiency of the team in the 100 rounds, the number of points conceded by the team in the 100 rounds, the impact of the 100 rounds of defensive performance on the offense, the personal defensive net win score per 100 rounds, and the cumulative contribution of defense), becoming the defensive unicorn of the times.
Compared to the offensive end, the player's progress on the defensive end is not easy to observe. It's just that compared to the past, Gobert's defensive re-evolution this season is actually quite obvious, not just a super frame center. Especially after entering the playoffs, coach Snyder can actually rest assured that he can directly come out to defend the outside line, and in the front guard link of the change of defense to face the rotation, Gobert's performance surpassed his former self, and he was no longer a candidate who was easily called out to singles. In this basketball era, it is already quite good for interior players to be able to do this.
In addition to the aforementioned personal honors and high-level defensive data domination, Gobert is most proud of his ability to have three dpoy trophies at the age of 28. In addition, in the past five years, in the season without winning awards, Gobert dpoy has been selected once as second (losing alphabet brothers) and once as third( losing to Green and Leonard). Taking the past five seasons as a cycle, if the NBA League is the first person to attack, it is difficult to choose who is the first. If it's defensive, it's much easier to do, and judging from the ranking of the dpoy awards alone, Gobert is the undisputed number one defender of the era.
In the history of the NBA, the only players with more than three DPOY awards are Howard, Big Ben and Mutombo, and the latter two brothers are four times, and they are also models of defensive centers, all of which have been confirmed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On the offensive end, Gobert is generally defined as a player who ends by eating cake, but his efficiency of eating cake is actually worth praising, and the scoring number in recent years is also around 15+, the shooting rate is 65% away, and the opbm of the offensive direction has been positive in the past five years.
Taking Big Ben as an example, the average point per game is about 9 points at the peak, and the shooting rate is about 50%; the barrel boy is slightly better, averaging about 13 points per game at the peak, and the shooting rate is 53%; combining offense and defense, it can be said that Gobert's comprehensive level has surpassed Big Ben and Barrel Boy. Since the same defensive player can do things, Gobert who is not?
Given Gobert's age and defensive level, there's a good chance he'll win five dpoy-level trophies before retiring. For now, Gobert, who has the first-man attribute of the era defense, has actually stepped into the Hall of Fame with half a foot, and with his current achievements, his chances of entering the Hall of Fame are even greater than those of Mitchell, the boss of the same team.