Utah Jazz News: Rudy Gobert Is The Real Star Of The Team? Can Jazz Succeed With Him As Centerpiece?
The Utah Jazz are brimming with young talents but somehow, they can't seem to put it all together to become the next breakout team.
However, not all hopes are lost as they have a promising defensive juggernaut who is improving at an unbelievable rate, Rudy Gobert.
The "The Stifle Tower," "The French Rejection," "The Gobert Report," or "Gobzilla," anyway you want to call him, caught the attention of NBA fans last season with his unbelievable blocks and intimidating defensive presence, that even NBA stars had a hard time cracking the interior.
In fact, Bleacher Report noted some questions on how come Gobert was drafted 27th in a draft deemed to be one of the weakest in recent memory.
"How did the Jazz ever justify playing Kanter ahead of this guy?" or "How did Alex Len, Gorgui Dieng and Kelly Olynyk all come off the 2013 draft board before him?" or even "Did he just block a sky hook?"
The center averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and an impressive 2.3 blocks per game last season. Moreover, Celtics coach Brad Steven praised his defensive tenacity when they visited the Jazz.
"The number one thing I walk out of here with is, damn, their defense is good," Steven told SB Nation's Paul Flannery. "Like, that's an outstanding defense, and it's got the potential to be an outstanding defense for a long time, with that length."
Right now, with a starting line-up of Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Gobert, will it be enough to rise to the top in the unbelievably competitive Western Conference? Will Gobert make up for the loss of Dante Exum? Stay tuned.
