Does Rudy Gobert's defense make him a superstar?

Is Rudy Gobert a star because of his defense or is he overrated because he flames out in the playoffs? This detailed film breakdown & scouting report of the Utah Jazz center examines just how valuable Rudy's defensive impact is while incorporating analytics & stats to assess his overall impact.
Support and find more at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
Podcast: On Spotify, Apple, www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-... or at player.fm/series/thinking-bas...
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Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
IMPACT METRICS
-PIPM is a hybrid model (box score and plus-minus) that "luck-adjusts" plus-minus data (regresses FT% and 3pt%) to account for noise and is more sensitive to a player's role/fit on a given team. Created by @JacobEGoldstein
-RAPTOR is 538's model that blends box score information, plus-minus data and player tracking data to estimate player impact. projects.fivethirtyeight.com/...
-RAPM courtesy of Ryan Davis at nbashotcharts.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by csus | Hip hop instrumental

[@WhelmedButReady]

"Avoid him like he has an infectious disease" that is all time level lowkey shade. Bravo Thinking Basketball

[@Yeongboemkim365]

Yeah that’s throwing some shade it is funny though

[@nyawho.]

Well there's a reason some of those guys that avoided him didnt get infected

[@minjookim2278]

TB: “avoid him like he has an infectious disease” Rudy: *am I a joke to you*

[@buffbanana15]

My first thought was, "Well, THIS didn't age well." Then I realized this was a recent post.

[@rogeliochavez40]

Jajsjaja boy, I came to the see if someone else noticed that. That was nasty

[@milto2269]

4:53 "he will also bust out an old Hakeem Olajuwon move and throw a hand while contesting shots...." Ben's basketball knowledge is unbelievable. People who know more about his works know that very well

[@gurjassinghbatra5758]

Very true

[@kags9367]

"Ben's basketball knowledge is unbelievable" Dude, yes. His Backpicks GOAT Series is so informative: backpicks.com/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/ He talks in-depth about 40 players, ranking the Most valuable Overall Careers: [top 3] No. 3: Michael Jordan (highest peak ever, lower longevity than Bron/Kareem) www.backpicks.com/2018/04/08/backpicks-goat-2-michael-jordan/ No. 2: LeBron James (great longevity, very high peak) www.backpicks.com/2018/04/05/backpicks-goat-3-lebron-james/ ^ LeBron used to be No. 3 but Ben moved him up to No. 2 after the 2018 playoffs No. 1: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (insane longevity and high peak) www.backpicks.com/2018/04/12/backpicks-goat-1-kareem-abdul-jabbar/

[@nathanshlap]

Ben did in depth film and analytical study on the top 40 NBA players of all time. He knows this shit too well

[@armandodelossantos736]

Imagine how great Gobert protects the rim, that even at his best defensive season so far he had 214 blocks and 49 steals but Olajuwon's best defensive season he had 376 blocks and 174 steals... while avg 24.8pag, 13.5rag lol man the NBA has fallen so far

[@kags9367]

@@armandodelossantos736 blocks underrate Gobert's impact though, as Ben mentioned in the video, because offensive players so often pass the ball away before he even gets a chance to challenge their shots when they see him waiting in the lane. Is Hassan Whiteside your defensive player of the year, then, since he's the blocks leader? The Blazers have the 4th worst defense in the NBA. EDIT: I'm not trying to diss Hakeem, mind you, he was one of the 5 best defenders ever. I'm just saying that steals and blocks don't reflect Gobert's true impact, not by a long shot

[@ssoossaa]

Nah seriously though Rudy is a whole ass system. His defense is so impactful it’s crazy.

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

I could only imagine Shaq playing today. The defensive prowess of Rudy Gobert, plus elite athleticism and elite offensive scoring volume and efficiency

[@trishantchhetry8443]

@@Thanosdidtherighthing Ehh Shaq had Gobert-like defensive success for maybe a year (his second place DPOTY finish in 2000), he otherwise lacked the focus and motivation on that end. Plus in today's game that spams 3s and PnRs, he would probably be worse. Ofc the offensive excellence would be something to watch though

[@shaneyy__]

Trishant Chhetry or he would be even better in a system surrounded by snipers. You never know 👀

[@Emdee47317]

@@shaneyy__ he was talking about defense fam.

[@ttiop]

Diego Velazquez shaq was only really good at defence in his first 2 seasons, after that Gobert defensively (srsly I only mean at defence) is better

[@BScottPhotography15]

Avoid him like he has a disease lol that hurt

[@ZangFamily]

The comments: 10% wow this guy has high basketball knowledge 90% avoid him like an infectious disease LMAOOOOOO LOLXD 😂😂

[@smacky101]

Why not both

[@ObnoxiousOtter8]

‘Had me dyin cuh 🤣🤣💯💯🥴🥴💀💀💀💀🔪🔪💸💸’

[@gurjassinghbatra5758]

That's one of the best and complete analysis of Gobert, a seriously underrated player!

[@youngmoneyswagg101]

I would like to see a video on john Collins, he’s such an interesting player in today’s era

[@dariusduffie8377]

My favorite player on my favorite team

[@538696]

The problem is it's unclear who Collins will be. I'd rather the video come out next year to see the jump on year 4.

[@smithsgonefishing]

@@538696 he's a walking 20 and 10 wym who will be b u dont watch huh

[@Richbeans115]

@@smithsgonefishing Almost everything he scores is set up for him. It doesnt mean he isnt a good finisher...but he isnt a walking 20 and 10 without a good offensive fulcrum next to him.

[@Jerome-Boateng]

Richbeans115 There were a few games last year that we played without Trae, and John Collins was the focal point of the offense. Go watch our home game against the Clippers. He scored 36 points with a washed Jeff Teague and an undrafted free agent at point guard. He also dropped 30 on the Celtics, without Trae. Did I mention he shot 40% from three, on 4 attempts per game? Collins is a legit offensive weapon. And his defense isn’t as bad as people think.

[@AidanYongandrewiskool]

Bro Make your vids 10 min long for extra revenue, your vids way too high quality for you not to get that bag

[@jondabasol4613]

Yes! Get that bag brother!

[@deflandre8286]

His defense is unbelievable. He shut down whole league.

[@arnelcabusao8729]

Wow very original 🙃

[@FrenchPendule]

Move.

[@Richbeans115]

He was defending himself from smart decision making.

[@arityariv]

This just ain’t funny anymore, please stop with that stupid joke, it wasn’t just him and it woulda obviously happen sooner or later anyways

[@DynamicGuy123]

Arit,Yariv Tal someone’s mad

[@arp_909]

Great video, thanks from a Jazz fan. I think his impact is widely underestimated for people who don’t regularly follow the Jazz

[@Shaklore]

I always disagreed with many people's assertions (including bbballbreakdown) that his defense is easily exploited in the playoffs. Thank you for making this video! I have always enjoyed your excellent work.

[@VictorFPoB]

That's because BballBreakdown is a pseudo basketball intellectual. He's not terrible, better than most NBA KZbinrs like LOW, JimmyHighRoller etc. but people praise him for literally pointing out what's happening in a video, when in actuality his player evaluation sucks. Proof is with his belief that Kobe is better than LeBron and his high praise for T-Mac's overrated scoring. It's all eye-test and surface level.

[@tanver14]

@@VictorFPoB his very pseudo intellectual. Describing a play and explaining things are different. Ben explains even when a pass is made that a better pass is also available like when a player is closer to the basket it becomes a higher percentage shot. BBALLBREAKDOWN just describes plays and I can't stand his smugness in thinking he knows more than most NBA scouts.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

@@VictorFPoB He is basically reading out the play by play on nba.com in his "game breakdown" lmao He knows how to execute some plays because he is a high school coach but other than that, he is pretty mid

[@Shaklore]

Victor Arendse May I ask in which video did he say Kobe is better than Lebron?

[@Shaklore]

Alamin Tanver I think his talent is in evaluating team offenses, team defenses, and coaching

[@michaeljones7447]

Please, I need more Jazz analysis, I don’t know where else to get it. Thank you for the video

[@elijahj5258]

“Like he has an infectious disease”😂LMAOO

[@rudygobert3456]

they disrespected me :'(

[@cemalklavuz6104]

"Avoid him like he has an infectious disease" BRUH

[@jay144k]

I have always thought he was very underappreciated. This was the first year he has been an All star; which is completely ridiculous. If You are and Elite defender who is average at offence, you struggle to make the all star game. If you are an elite offensive player who is bad at defense, you can be MVP.

[@aarnejaroma]

hes unbelievably good and effective, i cant believe my eyes when watching these clips

[@mv3507]

“want to avoid him like he has an infectious disease” okay thinking basketball

[@yaboicash6666]

No chill 😂

[@arthgupta1113]

straight fire

[@Redoreed]

I’ve obsessively consumed basketball content on the internet and yours is my favorite. I wish you could upload daily lol and had the exposure you deserve! I understand so much more about the game with your content.

[@williamshearman8898]

One of my favorite yet. An actual nuanced look at value in the playoffs

[@ignitehades1998]

These videos have been keeping me going through this lockdown

[@davispo7550]

2:30 What a lovely game of 3on3

[@gabehowe2778]

0:57 no holding back I see 🤣🤣

[@bigpapajake]

Great video. I really wish you would have discussed his "screen assist" ability. Really is one of his better skills. Great job.

[@tylerlaw6514]

I get wayyy to happy when I see a new thinking basketball video

[@bereisgreat]

all of your videos are just fantastic, thank you so much for all the effort you put into them!

[@wallaccefan5704]

“Everyone wants to avoid him like he has an infectious disease.” BRUH TOO SOON

[@DamageIncorperated86]

I really like his game, and thought him getting "played off of the court" was overstated. Interesting video and as usual, very well reasoned take.

[@woblyskygaming997]

His teammates should have rotated

[@johndon5555]

LOVING THE BACKGROUND MUSIC!!!! MAKES YOUR ANALYSIS SOUND SO INTENSE. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS. BEST KZbin CHANNEL. KEEP IT UP BROTHER

[@sairam7669]

the amazing thing of ruby gobert is how well he controls his body to not get into foul trouble. If only the jazz were to take advantage of him and reach atleast the conference finals but alas idk when ill see that again being a jazz fan.

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

His biggest problem is that he has no offensive game minus catching lobs. No jump hook, no fade-away, no drop step, no ball handling, etc.

[@williamli3872]

Besides his incredible length, Gobert also does an incredible job of keeping his hands/arms up when moving.

[@joshhaggard1625]

This is easily the best basketball channel on any platform. Would love to see a video on Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, and Ben Simmons.

[@SoloPerICommenti]

Ben Simmons already done

[@robbiehackman8811]

First time I’m this early . I love your work . Best basketball channel . Basketball genius . Your work has been a gift to the basketball community. Keep it up .

[@cookiesmack6442]

"Blitzkrieg by golden state" ahh I get it

[@karlparker5876]

I don't, mind explaining?

[@nolanrussell6326]

@@karlparker5876 Essentially, blitzkrieg is an invasion tactic which the Germans successfully used against France in WW2. Since Gobert is from France, it's sort of a pun.

[@SoloPerICommenti]

@@nolanrussell6326 wow, I didn't connect the dots. Very well played

[@georgenyangaya7678]

Thank u for bringing the music back😌. Great video as well

[@Chocolouf]

Great video that do justice to Rudy's defensive impact. It would have been a nice complement to also put other defensive star centers of the past to put some perspective, like Mutombo, Olajuwon, Mourning and Robinson.

[@armandodelossantos736]

Imagine how great Gobert protects the rim, that even at his best defensive season so far he had 214 blocks and 49 steals but Olajuwon's best defensive season he had 376 blocks and 174 steals.... While avg 24.8p, 13.5r lol man the NBA has fallen so far

[@indefinitedelay]

hey! i'd love a video on Bam Adebayo sometime, i think a player with such a great combination of defense and playmaking would be a really cool exhibition. thank you!

[@aleksanderbandreassen4915]

Thank you so much. Really wanted this :D Also a great video (as always)

[@backdropdriver]

Great vid. I argued with people who think Adebayo has surpassed Gobert as a defender because he's more switchable, but you really hit the nail on the head when you showed not only that Rudy is not bad on the perimeter, but he is also a paint protector and not only a rim protector.

[@michaeldillman1660]

He shoots 69.8% FG (second highest in the league), 3rd in total rebounds this season, 4th in blocks and is gonna be a 3-peat DPOY.

[@brianhansen1556]

Unfortunately you can't block shots that teams won't even attempt... so underrated

[@carrinao888]

Excellent, as usual ! Thanks

[@hostjoe]

Questionable wording @4:09 Giannis "can't stretch Gobert with penetration"

[@mightysavior74]

I see, ur a man with culture as well

[@NuryPPanaligan]

And deep shooting. So kinky.

[@elephant2x3]

Such a good video!! So sick of hearing people say Rudy sucked in the playoffs, I always think "Did they even watch those last three games?!?" And you clearly did!

[@sullir9397]

Thank you. Tired of people saying he gets played off the floor in the playoffs when they obviously never even watched the games.

[@luneofatlantis]

Always great content man. Keep it up ;)

[@dancounihan2542]

Hey man! Love the videos. Following up on this defensive analysis, it'd be cool to see a video on Jonathan Isaac. He seems to be the heir to the DPOY throne if he can stay healthy so it'd be interesting to watch you dissect his game.

[@benk.9608]

Thank you so much for this video

[@braedenmoore1722]

I love all your stuff man

[@thechtibzhangshow8985]

Great vid bro

[@chrissullivan6572]

Any day Ben drops a video is a good day

[@PuchuKt]

Great video

[@futurehofer1564]

0:58 I caught that reference lol Amazing video as usual btw

[@joshwright1697]

Finally people can stop saying Rudy Gobert got played off the court against the rockets

[@superdudextreme2789]

Well he got played off the court by small ball again. Basically with Gobert if you’re playing a team with a good small ball lineup or just 5 out he’s screwed

[@joshwright1697]

@@superdudextreme2789 Gobert isn't even the one who got exposed by small ball. He has to help on every single possession because no other Jazz player can guard. Once Gobert helps there's an easy open pass. And once again, the other jazz players fail to rotate the whole series leaving shooters wide open.

[@spencerantoniomarlen-starr3069]

I am watching this right after watching your Kevin Garnett peak video (KG is my personal favorite player ever, I rooted for the T-Wolves despite living in California, then rooted for the Celtics when he got traded there despite my Laker family lol) because I thought his defense wouldn't compare, especially he lateral and general foot speed to stay in front of wings and forwards, but I am really impressed by his foot speed in this video. It obviously isn't on KG's level, but it would be silly to expect anyone else that size to be able to do that, so this has given me a big respect for Rudy. That being said, I think if he specifically works on it over the summer, he really could do so much better at guarding Jokic. Part of it may have to be finding a healthy way to put on another 15 to 20 pounds honestly.

[@AC030]

1:03 lmao that was perfect

[@jpool710]

"Avoid him like he has infectious disease" LMAO 🤣

[@ZanosuMangustas]

Finally the music is back!!!

[@randomcat5262]

This series should never end.

[@yanaco3961]

My favorite defensive player ever

[@joshgoodloe4830]

Love these

[@Cristian-ng5cj]

premium quality content as always

[@Tomoyo_Sayomura]

The more I watch this channel the more I come to the conclusion that this is the best basketball on KZbin by a mile. Not even close.

[@sakamoto8354]

Mayaka is

[@oTownruler]

I see what you did there at 0:59 hahaha. I am digging the jab towards Rudy!

[@futurekillerful]

After watching this I feel the same way....Offense in today's game is simply more valuable than defense. But I have a newfound respect for Rudy.

[@armandodelossantos736]

Well Rudy Gobert only puts up about half of the defensive impact as the centers of the 90's

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

The problem with Rudy Gobert is that outside of catching lobs , he’s a role player offensively. No drop step. No post hook, rarely establishe deep post position, lacks footwork . etc. If he was more of a threat there, then stretch bigs wouldn’t give him that much of a problem since he could counter act their 3’s with efficient two’s but he simply can’t create his own shot.

[@hockeyfan1799]

Interesting, I'd like to hear your analysis on his performance against the Clippers in the second round.

[@NBADeepDive-nh2lu]

Joke at 0:56 about 'like he has an infection disease' is 10/10.

[@CafeSalem-ve3dl]

Gotta love the vids. Would you consider breaking down all these advanced metrics in a video. Kinda hard to understand. Or you could just explain them as u use them

[@pzooka]

What a random video among NBA KZbin. I’m digging it

[@ashanlingam312]

Seems like a good time to revisit this 🤣😂😂🤣🤣

[@jonathandixon7518]

Khris Middleton analysis next?

[@xx_imaxor_xx4978]

great vid, is there a reason why ur thumbnails have that filter on all the players?

[@thechief3553]

Your content is great, can you do more analysis of bigmen in the league? Maybe a top 5 best overall bigmen? I’m a big fan of offensive bigmen and we don’t see many of them in the league or they don’t get the recognition they deserve.

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZuZYYWifNGep8U One of the highest peaks for any player not just big men🌝

[@trevorleinz2297]

I would absolutely love to see a video on either Bam Adebayo or Domantas Sabonis.

[@LaniSternRealty]

Thanks for the video, please use some legends of the game, that's great content for you and for us!

[@winny8139]

The man who shut down the league, Rudy Gobert. and i'm not talking about his defense.

[@Loris71734]

I like the joke but it would've been canceled at some point regardless

[@FrenchPendule]

Move.

[@armandodelossantos736]

Imagine what centers like Ewing, Robinson,and Olajuwon would do to this league

[@winny8139]

@@Loris71734 for sure. last time i checked, 16 players or so tested positive.

[@tombomb9327]

This was a goal of yours to attend too, you absolute trailblazer

[@davidvanhoose4050]

Do an analysis of jimmy butler and/or the heats legitimacy as a team going forward regarding what pieces they need to be title contenders

[@michaelo6317]

Beat stops..... “ that’s an offensive foul”.

[@bobsager7034]

“who can’t stretch him with penetration” woajhhh pause

[@Sasa-lz4lt]

That shot at the Gobert corona situation 💀💀💀💀💀

[@Terror832]

How would Rudy do against those 90s centers like Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing, Admiral and Mourning?

[@ratedpending]

I'd like to think pretty well, rim protectors were golden back in the day.

[@darrylwallace2428]

I don’t think he’d last. The guys you just mentioned knew how to score in their prime, and thrived off physicality. Rudy probably would’ve flopped to try and get guys like them in foul trouble.

[@rio7323]

Darryl Wallace players flop because that works, if you drop a player in an era where flopping doesn’t work then they won’t do it

[@dasupremegentlelad4321]

@@darrylwallace2428 spoken like a true old head. I think gobert can hold his own against them but he would still get worked at times just like anyone else against these greats

[@javierlandaverde4108]

@@darrylwallace2428 I don't think so because Gobert is a traditional center like Mutombo in terms of defense but overall much better. I would say Gobert would do well, would develop more skills as a offensive focal point while still being solid guarding the paint.

[@lonesometroll621]

The way he marches at 0:50.

[@fw9512]

0:56 trying to avoid him like he has an infectious disease had me weak.

[@orbitx5838]

Gobert's screens are insane, probably a 5' width elbow to elbow

[@juudaaah1468]

bro your video on Kawhi is gone, what happened? Great vid btw

[@karsonmabou8448]

Omfg, “like he has some kind of infectious disease” i cant 😂😂😂😂0:50

[@gorkajames6475]

Even with all the data we have available to us now, Rudy would have been appreciated more in previous eras.

[@nbaclips4040]

A good article name would be the Govert Anitexy around the ring

[@Ycfia]

Only one I can think of that isn't a scorer an can be considered that off top my head is probably Rodman because he was so dominant on the glass an defensively with his versatility etc

[@johnnywd2267]

Last year you made a video on your top nba players in the league and I just rewatched it. Boy it was amazing and I’d love if you could do it again!!!

[@taelybui5632]

not sure if you were referencing jim mora at 6:12 but it sure did sound like him 🤣

[@Stypooooo]

It’s my birthday and I also get an upload from you guys🙏🏼

[@phinehassee588]

happy birthday

[@Stypooooo]

Phinehas See thanks bro

[@yhwhfearingguy646]

HBD

[@Stypooooo]

Random Guy thanks ✊🏻

[@yhwhfearingguy646]

👉✊🏾

[@Howdidhenotseeme]

Can you do a video on what Anthony davis struggles with on defense?

[@zebrasprite]

0:59 you aint gotta do him like that lmfaoo

[@ReCharredSigh]

Gobert's rim protection is elite; it's just that utah struggles so much to generate explosive offense across the team that, though it's unrealistic, I wonder whether he can up his offensive contribution in some other way; just being a diving pnr man and offensive rebounder doesn't seem enough. Could he learn to be a good dribble handoff player?

[@thomasbrady3827]

9:43 come on you couldn’t have thrown in a few more Rudy clips to get it to 10 minutes ?

[@willhooke]

I think Ben takes pride in doing them under 10, tbh ;)

[@VictorFPoB]

@@willhooke I get that he doesn't wanna fish for ad revenue, but I sometimes almost feel like he has an obligation to do his best to expand his platform. He's the best analyst out there, possibly and yet we get fed ESPN and these narrative based KZbinrs like LOW, Jimmy and Korzemba who have no idea what they're talking about.

[@willhooke]

@@VictorFPoB I think you're right. Maybe Google would increase his visibility if he went to 10+ minutes 🤔

[@Mekahw]

Victor Arendse LOW actually knows what he’s talking about. What are you on?

[@brucemahon8860]

the "blitzkrieg" still got me laughing

[@duMaurier15]

Not only is his defensive presence around the paint elite level but his offensive presence is high level with his screens, offensive rebounds and put backs and ofc lob threat. If only he had a jump shot. But his offensive rating is top 10 for the last handful of years.

[@cedarwod_]

Ben Simmons defense analysis pls

[@Toad_Moto]

Rudy Gobert owns the record for most dunks in a season.