Rudy Gobert has had one too many shots fired at him recently and a former NBA player has now come to his defense. Jaren Jackson Sr., father of Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr., sympathized with Gobert’s plight during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“I feel for him,” Jackson said. “He’s another one that plays defense. It’s not the prettiest part of the game, it’s not the most entertaining, not gonna be on ESPN about his blocks. All of these big guys today, the game has changed. You no longer just sit in the paint… Now these guys gotta move.
“I think Rudy is just trying to be the best help side defender he can be,” Jackson continued. “It’s just not appreciated… There are other areas of his game, he probably needs to be better at. As a veteran player, he should be better at other areas of his game, but he’s found his niche, to play defense… I don’t care what people say about him.”
Rudy Gobert has been the target of recent vitriol from former and current NBA players.
Former Guard @JarenSrJackson defends the Minnesota big man with @BgeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA. pic.twitter.com/1lWdOezSwS
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 7, 2024
Jackson, who had a 12-year NBA career, believes Gobert should have improved other facets of his game by now, but considers much of the hate unwarranted. As he pointed out, the way the game is played has changed, and it certainly hasn’t been a good change for the bigs.
Gobert has somewhat been the poster child for bigs being exposed when having to step away from the basket. He struggled in the postseason for many years but, to his credit, was far better in that regard in the 2024 playoffs.
Unfortunately, all of Gobert’s good work in the first two rounds of the postseason was forgotten after he struggled guarding Luka Doncic at times in the Western Conference Finals. That series led to all the hate coming to the forefront yet again.
Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II fired shots at Gobert for his performances in the Western Conference Finals. Lively felt there was no reason why the Minnesota Timberwolves should have played him as much as they did in that matchup.
Prior to that, Dwight Howard had dissed Gobert by claiming he didn’t deserve all the four DPOY awards he had won. While Howard praised him for playing better defense this past season, he still doesn’t consider him an elite defender.
While those were some brutal comments, the worst of the lot came from Shaquille O’Neal, who has been the most vocal critic of the Timberwolves star. O’Neal named Gobert the worst player in NBA history, stating that it’s players like him who screw up the system for everyone else. I think this hate train won’t stop until he wins a championship and even that might not be enough.
Eddie Johnson Is Baffled By The Rudy Gobert Hate
Eddie Johnson has been around the NBA for a while now, first as a player and now as an analyst. Johnson claimed on SiriusXM NBA Radio that, in all this time, he has never seen a situation like the one Gobert finds himself in.
“This is something that Rudy Gobert has to address because, obviously, his demeanor on the court, maybe he is saying stuff to players that we are not privy to hear, and maybe that’s part of it? I don’t know, but the vitriol against this man, it baffles me,” Johnson said. “This is one of the most baffling situations I think I have seen in the league to this point.”
“You got a guy that’s a defensive marvel,” Johnson added. “A freak of nature that can run the floor, he can bother you, get out on your shots, all of these things he can do, but people nitpick on the things that he can’t do at a high level.”
Why does Rudy Gobert get criticized at times by other players?@jumpshot8 would like an answer to that question pic.twitter.com/tMBMlgtzql
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 6, 2024
I certainly can’t recall a situation like this either. Gobert isn’t perfect by any means but you’d think he’s one of the absolute worst players in the league based on some of the comments. The three-time All-Star averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game last season and deserves more respect than he gets.
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