NBA: Way-too-early Western Conference All-Star predictions

10. Rudy Gobert – Utah Jazz

Right now, Rudy Gobert is my starting center in my current best starting 5. Yes, he’s not as skilled as Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic, but he doesn’t need to be. Gobert is what I call a ‘Finder’. He finds ways to be effective without having the ball in his hands.

Players like LeBron James, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook are only at their most effective when they have the ball in their hands, so when they don’t have the ball they aren’t at their best. There is only ever one ball being used, so having players that are effective without the ball is very important if you want to succeed.

Rudy Gobert is amazing without the ball. The Utah Jazz doesn’t run plays for him except for the occasional lob. He lets his teammates do their thing and finds his points within the Jazz’s system. This means he doesn’t take many shots, but nearly all of his shots are extremely efficient. Right now Gobert is averaging 15.5 PPG on a league-leading 71.4% from the floor. The only shots he takes are lobs, put-backs, and drop-offs.

Gobert also leads the league in screen assists per game (6.9) and screen assist PPG (16.8). He knows how to set great picks on defenders so that his teammates can get going in the pick-and-roll and get into great positions for a catch-and-shoot.

Gobert is also leading the league in rebounding (15.1 RPG) and is one of the best defenders in the NBA, if not THE best. Gobert is averaging 2.3 BPG and only allows 46.1% of shots attempted against him to go in. This is the best in the league for any player that defends at least two shots a game and has played at least 18 games.

Gobert is an absolute monster, someone who scores extremely efficiently on offense and protects the rim with ferocity on defense. He’s someone everyone should want on their team and deserves another All-Star selection.