Center Rudy Gobert gave his career-best scoring average and league-leading field goal percentage a little bump with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting Monday night.
But as usual, Gobert’s offensive impact in the Utah Jazz’s 111-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets far surpassed the numbers printed in a standard box score.
Gobert, the reigning defensive player of the year, is recognized as arguably the NBA’s most dominant force on that end of the floor. He might also be the league’s most underrated offensive weapon as a big man who makes major impact on many possessions without even touching the ball.cheap nike nfl jerseys china
“It’s all about winning for me,” said Gobert, who scores 15.7 points per game and creates a league-leading 13.9 off screen assists, per NBA.com tracking. “It’s all about doing the little things that help us score, help us win and help my teammates be more efficient.”
That’s a significant reason why the Jazz were so appalled that Gobert was an All-Star snub. They believe that their big man should get an All-NBA spot over a center who puts up pretty scoring numbers but will watch the playoffs from the couch. For comparison’s sake, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns also generates a combined 29.6 points per game off scoring (24.4) and screening (5.2).
“Rudy is our most important offensive player,” Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey told ESPN hours before what became Utah’s 10th win in 11 games.buy nike nfl jerseys cheap
Lindsey said that with all due respect for star sophomore shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, Utah’s leading scorer by a considerable margin with 23.5 points per game. It’s a statement supported by the advanced statistic of offensive win shares, in which Gobert ranks fourth in the NBA with 8.2, behind only Houston’s James Harden, Portland’s Damian Lillard and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lindsey refers to Gobert’s screening as “akin to the trigger on a gun,” because the Jazz initiate so much of their offense off of Gobert picks, whether it’s pick-and-roll action with their playmakers or off-ball screens to free 3-point sharpshooters Joe Ingles and Kyle Korver. According to Second Spectrum data, Gobert has set a league-high 3,309 screens this season, and no other player comes within 500 picks of that number.