Rudy Gobert is one of the best big men in the NBA. The French center has been in the league for quite some time and has established himself as an elite rim protector and paint presence over the last few years.
For his performances, Gobert has become a regular All-Star and All-Defensive player in the NBA. On top of that, he is a three-time and reigning Defensive Player Of The Year. His combination with Donovan Mitchell in Utah has the potential to bring an NBA championship to the city.
But for his defensive prowess, Gobert has never been a spectacular offensive player. While he is a solid presence in the paint and can be trusted to get putbacks in the opposition’s zone, he is a poor shooter and does not make enough of his shots consistently.
In fact, Gobert is the only starting center in the NBA that makes less than 30% of his attempted three-pointers. But it isn’t just his weakness from the three-point line that remains evident, it is also his free-throw shooting.
Usually, big men tend to struggle from the free-throw line, usually because their big hands don’t allow them to control the ball well enough to be accurate from the foul line.
Most recently, the Jazz played against the Denver Nuggets. Gobert had a double-double, with 23 points and 15 rebounds. But he shot poorly from the free-throw line, making 9 of his 16 attempts.
Kevin Harlan on Rudy Gobert's free throw shooting tonight: "a performance that only a mother would love."
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 27, 2021
NBA commentator Kevin Harlan made fun of Gobert’s shooting performance, saying that only a mother could be happy with that kind of performance.
Gobert’s inefficiency on the scoring end has been a problem for some time. In fact, it proved to be a big issue for the Jazz in the playoffs last season, especially in their series against the LA Clippers.
The Jazz will accept Gobert’s strengths and weaknesses for now, as he makes them one of the best defensive teams in the league. But during late-game situations, teams will employ a Hack-A-Gobert strategy that could cost them some big wins. Perhaps this is why the Jazz brought in Hassan Whiteside, a better free-throw shooter.
