Shaquille O'Neal has beef with many of the centers today in the NBA. Most notably, the TNT analyst seems to hone in on Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, often criticizing him and calling him out (unfairly, at times). However, this latest achievement by Gobert might knock down the former MVP down a peg.
Justin Kubatko, the founder of Basketball Reference, noted that Gobert has grabbed thirteen rebounds in his last eight games of the season. The Jazz center apparently is the last guy to do that since… you guessed it, Shaq, back in the '92-'93 season.
Rudy Gobert tonight:
✅ 13 PTS
✅ 15 REB
✅ 5-6 FGGobert has recorded at least 13 rebounds in each of his eight games this season.
The last player to open a season with eight such games in a row was Shaquille O'Neal in 1992-93.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) November 5, 2021
Gobert corralled 15 rebounds in their 116 – 98 drubbing of Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, along with 13 points on his usual efficient shooting. The Jazz center has long been the cornerstone of Quin Snyder's defense, as his rim protection and rebounding has helped them become a consistent playoff team. However, in recent years, Gobert's status as the premier defensive player in the league has come under scrutiny, as the Jazz defense consistently faltered in the post-season.
The Jazz are once again atop the Western Conference, picking up where they left off during the previous regular season. They are 7 – 1 currently, thanks in large part to Gobert's consistency on defense. However, we all know that the Jazz are pretty freaking good in the regular season. Gobert and the Jazz need to use this regular season to work out their issues in the playoffs.
For now, though, Rudy Gobert can sleep well knowing that he has matched a record by one of his biggest critics (though that seems to be changing recently).
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