(cover) IMAGO / Agencia EFE
Another chapter in the long-distance feud between Rudy Gobert and Shaquille O’Neal happened a few weeks ago and it’s even worse than usual. During an episode of the show Story of the Goat on Complex, the O’Neal father and son duo engaged in a series of exchanges on a variety of topics, both about basketball and beyond. When asked who WOAT, an acronym, stands for Worst Player of All TimeShaquille O’Neal didn’t hesitate to choose Rudy Gobert (with a final dedication to Ben Simmons as well). The explanation offered is based on the fact that the French center did not make a contribution equal to the value of the contract it signed, which does not deserve in any way the respect of those who, instead, carry signs of effort which was made to honor the money earned in the race.
It is now certain that Gobert will collect a cumulative earnings from contracts higher than that of Shaquille O’Neal, considering the 43.8 million for the upcoming season and the player options for the next from 46.6. This income would put him above the 286.3 million total collected by Shaq in his 19-year career. In any case, the strictly financial point of view of the comparison is very impractical given the progressive growth of salary capespecially after the inflation of +34.49% between 2015 and 2016. Gobert’s answer, however, did not take long, but decided on the right and respectful tone.
This is by no means the first or last time Rudy Gobert has been questioned when the topic of discussion is individual performance, especially when compared to the contractual aspect. It is already in the period of 2023/24, during the survey initiated by The Athletic where NBA players answer various questions about the League81 voters out of 142 total expressed their opinion regarding who is the most overrated. 13.6% of them answered Rudy Gobert, followed by Jordan Poole and Trae Young.
Where does this weak appreciation come from?
The beginnings of this account to him are now dated. The most recurring item in the discussion is the stark distance between an undeniable impact on the team’s defensive performance in the regular season and a presence on the field that is sometimes described as destructive in the playoffs, a doubt which has grown over time. But how much of all of this is directly attributable to Rudy Gobert and how much can be derived from deficiencies in contextual analysis?
In the seasons from 2017/18 to 2021/22, the defensive efficiency data (points per 100 possessions) of the middle court of the Utah Jazz Gobert on the court always represents, sometimes even a remarkable difference, the best data in the League and at least 6.7 points higher, with the only exception in 2018/19 (-1.7, source: Glass Cleaning). Meanwhile when he was absent, the team number was always below the average of thirty teams.
The series against the Los Angeles Clippers (2021) and Dallas Mavericks (2022) represent a tipping point for Rudy Gobert’s overall vision. Against two teams that want to expand the field with small quintets or with quintets 5-out enriched by shooters who create attacking space off the dribble, it becomes difficult to find space for a rim protector like Gobert. In fact, this was actually the first countermove made by the opponents to put the French in trouble.
But beyond Gobert’s complications in defending large spaces, the real problem that has emerged is the apparent lack of perimeter defense on the part of the Utah Jazz. If a defender is easily beaten, help can also come from a center able to discourage shots on the edge, but the collective effectiveness depends on the willingness to follow the first help, which is defined as a situation on help the assistant. The lack of attention to the perception of the positioning of the opponents as well as the knowledge to be able to choose alternatives such as the zone against the double possibility of offloading, forcing a passing line with other teammates to pairs will be reset. , or try to X-out between the first assistant and the senior defender.
All situations that Jazz was not able to propose effectively
As a strong defender, the conventional wisdom goes, Gobert should be able to one-handedly disrupt the defenses he plays with. When he didn’t succeed at Jazz, it was easy to point the finger at him. However, according to statistics and his return to the trade that brought him to Minnesota (six players and five draft picks), Gobert is considered one of the heliocentric attackers or players. raising the ceiling leading the team where they come to renew their ambitions.
Although Gobert does not fall into either of the aforementioned categories, a limited superstar level is present in his game. The importance of protecting the rim has always been fundamental in this game: it was shown by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but also by the Dallas Mavericks in their last ride to the NBA Finals. Of course, as mentioned, a defense system is not based only on this principle, but it SKILL by Gobert clearly places him among the best of the last decade. An example is his impact on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The defensive impact of Rudy Gobert
The defense is indeed, without a doubt, the basis of the success formula of Chris Finch’s team and the Frenchman is very valuable in its success. If in the first season injuries compromised the team’s results and increased doubts about its value, the last season instead allowed us to understand the deeper importance of building a system anchored in good ones specialist. If we consider i Four Reasons defensively, each entry recorded an improvement: from ninth to first in EFG%, remaining fifth in TOV%, from twenty-sixth to tenth in OREB% and from twenty-sixth to 15th in Opponents’ FT Rate (source: Glass Cleaning). It all worked out for the best defensive rating in the NBA: 108.9 points per 100 possessions, 2.6 points higher than the second, Orlando Magic. The turning point was undoubtedly the arrival of Gobert: the Frenchman, from 2018 to now, is the best according to a relatively advanced metric, he is D-LEBRONwhich measures individual impact on a defensive level.
What Gobert can provide in a defensive system is known: discourage and change any kind of conclusion near the paint and at the rim, encourage attempts from BETWEENlow percentage solution. To do this, Gobert often uses the use of drop the coveragea conservative strategy that outperforms others that do pick-and-roll a two-for-two situation. To function, the guard needs a good ability to get around blocks, stay in contact with the dribbler and return to the forward position, canceling any advantage.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks to Jaden McDaniels, have a good perimeter defender in these situations, the deficiency is represented precisely by the internal support. In the three seasons prior to Rudy Gobert’s arrival, the team never shined in either limiting its shots at the rim or changing its effectiveness in those areas of the pitch. While they ended the 2023/24 with the ninth data in terms of the percentage frequency of the opponent’s shots at the rim (30.7%), the second in terms of the lowest percentage of the shots obtained (62.7%, source: Glass Cleaning) and the second for the fewest points per possession awarded to the setter of pick-and-roll (0.83, source: NBA.com). Furthermore, as highlighted in the following graph, both the first 82 career and the postseasonthe differential recorded with and without Rudy Gobert on the pitch explains how injecting talent into these fundamentals inevitably positively changes the team’s strength.
The ability to protect the content of drop the coverage this is what makes Gobert a generational specialist. But if his teammates also offer the right support, a confidence multiplier effect is created. Last season we saw a Gobert who was more willing to make sacrifices, accept even bad defensive changes and do his best to prevent them. This versatility of coverage Very underrated, but the Frenchman has mobility and quickness of feet compared to his size which is impressive.
So Gobert moved out of the picture, not only because he was forced into the choices of his opponents, but also because he made himself more available. Last season was one of the best in terms of the number of possessions in defensive isolation and points per possession that were condemned not only from defensive tactics. search for combat. Last season, among 51 players with at least 70 isolations defended, Rudy Gobert tied for ninth in total possessions directly involved (92) and first in fewest points per possession recorded (0.73).
The strong defensive expression of the T’Wolves.
The Timberwolves’ half-court defensive efficiency also relies heavily on Gobert’s use as a point guard roamer. Nothing revolutionary, the Bucks did it with Antetokounmpo and the Lakers with Anthony Davis to name two. What does this mean? The best defender is paired with the least dangerous opponent on offense, so he can free himself and act as a helper near the rim. One solution, for example, is often used – both in Minnesota and other teams – against Nikola Jokic, an offensive weapon that is so difficult to stop that it is legitimate to change him into a two-man job.
But with Gobert, what was a tactical choice became the perfect excuse to criticize his importance in the playoffs. It was during the series against the Denver Nuggets that Draymond Green fell for it, accusing Gobert of not wanting to accept the one-on-one with the Serbian so as not to give a bad impression. A statement affected by the negative prejudice that surrounds the Frenchman and his situation in the League, because a player of the basketball intelligence of Green cannot fail to recognize a specific defense strategy, especially when considering which he himself used as roamer many times, to get the maximum return from his spinning IQ and instincts.
For the Timberwolves, in addition to who directly marks Gobert, it is important how they can take advantage of his ability. rim protector. In these clips you can see the collective effort of the defense: at first the Frenchman, near the level of the block, weakened the shot of Murray from the dribble, who tried to beat him quickly. When around the paint, the setup of McDaniels and Conley is ready to handle the burns (as opposed to what happened to the Jazz defenders). It is no coincidence that the mention of closeout of Jokic is slowing down catch-and-shoot while Reid changed on the fly and recovered. Another example from another type of favorite reception for Jokic, the high or low post, with preventive total pre-rotation of the movement of the ball and the collaboration of the rebound. Obviously, a defense that puts Rudy Gobert under center can also be effective in the playoffs, if it doesn’t remain static.
Gobert’s presence also helped Karl-Anthony Towns who, when not plagued by foul trouble, was key to the defense against the pick-and-roll directed by Murray and Jokic to limit the short roll and direct the game to the aid of the French. Responsible for this role as a leadoff hitter, Towns has defended like never before, becoming one of the most reliable defenders Jokic has seen in recent years, although it is not a solitary job, as can be seen in these clips: first the help is tricky and quick turn lob (clip 1), lo stunt through the cities with the recovery of the perimeter (clip 2), then the quick rotation after the cut off the face by Murray (clip 3). In conclusion, raising the question of whether it is more logical to see Rudy Gobert paired with Nikola Jokic stuck at a long distance from the basket, without taking credit from his teammates, minimizes how to raise the his use in court.