Rudy Gobert

After spending nine years in Utah, the Jazz traded Gobert to the Timberwolves this offseason in a blockbuster deal that netted the rebuilding Jazz a wealth of draft picks. The 27th overall in 2013 has established himself as an elite defensive center over the past six years. During that timespan, Gobert led the NBA in blocks once, rebounds once and field-goal percentage three times. Overall, he's averaged 14.8 points, 13.1 boards, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 assists on 67.3 percent shooting since 2016-17. In fantasy, he's held a fairly consistent per-game production ranking between 23rd and 39th. The new situation is interesting for the three-time All-Star, but his role will likely remain unchanged, especially on defense. He'll camp at the rim and swat away opponent shots with ease. Gobert's rebounding could dip slightly playing next to Karl-Anthony Towns, but he will likely still rank near the league leaders. Offensively, he'll remain a pick-and-roll option and an easy lob target for high-efficiency looks at the basket. Once again, he'll likely be a staple in most fantasy drafts' second or third rounds.

Gobert doesn't have much left to prove. He's a back-to-back All-Star, a four-time All-NBA selection, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time All-Defense player. The 29-year-old is coming off a 2020-21 season in which he led the league in field-goal percentage (67.5) for the second time in his career, averaging 14.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.3 assists in 30.8 minutes. That led to him ranking 33rd on a per-game basis in fantasy -- his fifth straight season inside the top-40. Gobert is the epitome of the traditional, rim-running, shot-blocking, rebounding big man. The two primary detractors from his fantasy value are his free-throw shooting (63.1 percent over the past three years) and his lack of three-point shooting. Still, the rest of his game is so dominant that it practically locks him into third-round value every season. Nothing is expected to change in 2021-22. Gobert is one of the steadiest center options available early in drafts.

Gobert's 2019-20 campaign was on par with his previous three seasons, though he was voted to his first All-Star team in addition to his All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive First Team selections. He averaged 15.1 points on 69.3 percent shooting, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals across 34.3 minutes. Gobert remains a double-double machine, posting 48 of them in 68 appearances, and he also had 12 outings of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. There's no reason to expect much to change heading into 2020-21, with Gobert being one of the best sources of rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage in the league. We shouldn't expect him to turn into a scoring force or make any real developments as a passer, either, as he likely would have shown more proficiency by now in those skills given that he's 28 years old. Regardless, Gobert is a great high-floor fantasy option at center who can be drafted with confidence in the third round.

Gobert is coming off his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award, and he's posted 2.4 blocks per game across the past five seasons. Gobert also led the NBA in field-goal percentage (66.9) last season, with his game being predicated on mostly dunks and easy lay-ins due to his lengthy 7-foot-1 frame. While he's not thought of as a scorer, Gobert averaged a career-high 15.9 points last season and recorded 19 games with at least 20 points. He's a top-tier rebounder as well, averaging 12.3 boards across the past three campaigns, not to mention three performances with at least 20 rebounds in 2018-19. Heading into 2019-20, it's possible Gobert has tapped out his potential. But that should not scare away fantasy owners in the slightest, as the center has proven to be an elite defender and worthy of two All-NBA teams in his six-year career.

Battling knee injuries, Gobert was limited to 56 games last season -- his fifth year in the league. He regressed slightly across the board, though was presumably playing at less than 100 percent for much of the year, and still averaged 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 62.2 percent from the field. On a positive note, he was able to set a career high in free-throw percentage (68.2) and match his career-high 0.8 steals per game. While it’s no secret at this point, Fantasy owners who draft Gobert get a walking double-double (31 last season) with high upside for blocks (22 games with at least three blocks). But, it might be fair to begin questioning his durability. He’s averaging just 66 games played over the past three seasons, with all his missed time being due to knee issues. That being the case, Fantasy owners who draft Gobert may want to bolster their center depth to create a safety net.

Gobert, whose Fantasy stock has been slowly trending upwards since his 2013-14 rookie year, had a breakout campaign last season, largely due to his much improved scoring ability. From the 2015-16 season to this past season, the 7-foot-1 center raised his points per game from 9.1 to 14.0 and his field-goal percentage from 55.9 to 66.1. In addition to his offensive production, Gobert ripped down an impressive 12.8 boards last season, as well as leading the NBA with 2.6 blocks per game. He made an especially impressive run after the All-Star break, posting an incredible 16.7 points, 13.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 70.1 percent from the field. While it seems unlikely that Gobert significantly improves his rebounding and shot blocking next season, he clearly still has more upside as a scorer, as evidenced by his post-All-Star break hot streak, as well as the 2016-17 campaign overall. With the departure of last year’s leading scorer, Gordon Hayward, as well as the addition of pass-first point guard Ricky Rubio, Gobert seems to be in prime position for another scoring leap. If that ends up being the case, the 25-year-old has a legitimate shot at being a top-10 Fantasy talent.

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.