Rudy Gobert contract: is he worth $205 million? / News - Basketnews.com

Rudy Gobert signed a 5-year, $205 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz in 2020, becoming the highest-paid center in NBA history.

Rudy Gobert

MIN:32.48PTS:15.95 (69.95%)REB:15.07As:1.17ST:0.79BL:2.26TO:1.83GM:42ProfileNBA2021/2022

Such an incredible amount of money had many NBA fans, players, and analysts turning their heads in question for why Gobert deserves so much cash. So is averaging 16.0 points, 15.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks enough to warrant over $30 million per season?

Currently, 17 NBA players make more money than Rudy Gobert. However, most of them are complete game-changers on offense, which cannot be said about Gobert. In fact, more than 80% of his points come from cutting to the rim after screens, and only 7% root from individual post-ups.

Whenever Gobert catches the ball further from the rim, he lacks the skill or strength to get closer to the basket.

The Frenchman is much more dangerous upon receiving the ball after a high pass when the opposing defenders switch. That way, Gobert is simply too big and can finish or get fouled with ease.

Most of his points come from slamming the ball after alley-oop passes, pick-and-rolls, and cleaning up the offensive glass after misses. Even after getting boxed out, Gobert's height and wingspan allow him to outrebound most opponents.

Furthermore, Gobert's size allows the talented Jazz guards to get a lot of separations on screens and easy 3-point attempts.

Mike Conley's improved shooting percentage from deep is the perfect example: his 3-point percentage has increased to the best of his entire career while playing with the Jazz.

Rudy's offense may be limited, but we all know he earns his bread and butter on the defensive side.

Gobert is a monster on defense and one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. This doesn't always translate to blocked shots, and Gobert is a game-changer even without actually touching the ball. Instead, he intimidates the offense changes shot trajectories both inside and outside the paint.

However, while Gobert is an excellent asset when facing traditional point guard and center teams, Rudy's weaknesses are exposed when playing against small-ball teams with superstar guards.

For superstars like Steph Curry or Damian Lillard, 3-pointers or mid-rangers can become easy layups after getting into a pick-and-roll action with Gobert defending.

If Gobert gets switched to a talented guard on the perimeter, the center lacks the footwork and speed to stay in front of them, often resulting in easy shot attempts for the offense.

Rudy's skills are extremely useful for the Jazz in the regular season but are often not enough come Playoff time. That's when it all starts to come down to individual matchups, and with most Playoff teams having small-ball lineups at their disposal, they can reduce Gobert's impact on defense to the point where he becomes a liability.

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