In just three seasons in the league, Gobert has already established himself as one of the NBA’s premier defensive centers. At 7-foot-1 with a standing reach of almost 10 feet, Gobert is superb at deterring opponents from attacking the rim, allowing the Jazz wings to aggressively gamble on steal opportunities. While Gobert’s defensive credentials are not in doubt, the Jazz are still hopeful he’ll make enough strides on the other end of the court to turn into an All-Star talent. Gobert’s 9.1 points per game last season were a career high, but he saw his field-goal (55.9%) and free-throw (56.9%) percentages drop from 60.4 and 62.3 percent, respectively, from the season before. It certainly didn’t help matters that he missed nearly a quarter of the season with a sprained left knee, so with renewed health, there’s a chance Gobert can emerge as a double-digit scorer in 2016-17. If that materializes, it’s within the realm of possibility for Gobert to turn in production similar to DeAndre Jordan, albeit with fewer rebounds and a better percentage from the charity stripe.

Gobert enjoyed a breakout season during his second year in the NBA, which saw him claim Utah's starting center job after the trade deadline and never relinquish it. The Frenchman was never given a crack at the starting five during his rookie season under the direction of former coach Ty Corbin, but Gobert came away from last season with 37 starts, which was partly enabled by the mid-season departure of Enes Kanter and the new direction of coach Quin Snyder. At 7-2, Gobert has a knack for being active at the rim, which was evident by his 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game when making an appearance in all 82 tilts last season. He's carrying momentum over from the previous year as an elite rebounder and shot blocker and consequentially should garner attention within the first three rounds of most standard-sized drafts this preseason since he's on tap for significant minutes as a starter while playing alongside Derrick Favors. The duo of Gobert and Favors in Utah's frontcourt is arguably the most menacing pair of rim protectors in the league as opposing teams will undoubtedly have trouble driving into the paint on the Jazz, or collecting rebounds for that matter. Perhaps somewhat underrated in Gobert's game is his ability to stay out of foul trouble. Despite averaging 26 minutes on the court and being the last resort on defense, he only committed five or more fouls twice during the entire season.

Rudy Gobert (pronounced: Go Bear) is entering his sophomore season in the NBA. In his rookie season, the Frenchman only played 10 minutes per game through 45 games. As a result, he finished with averages of 2.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks. Gobert seemed to be out of favor with head coach Ty Corbin last season and stands to benefit from the change to new skipper Quin Snyder. Gobert possesses raw athletic ability coming in at 7-2, although, the 22-year-old still needs some polishing before he's a staple in Utah's rotation. Last season, he spent some time in the D-League and blew away the competition, but transitioning his production to the NBA remains a considerable hurdle for Gobert. A sign of a bright future are his per-36 numbers, which came in at 8.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks last season. With his ability to defend the rim, it may be hard for Snyder not to give him a shot at playing big minutes at some point this season.

The 7-1 rookie, acquired on draft night, has promise, but the team isn't expecting much this season It remains to be seen how much of the court he actually sees this season, although the Jazz lack depth in the frontcourt, which could lead to Gobert seeing time if someone gets injured.