Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First team for the third straight year. Upon hearing the news, the French man reverted to praise his team and not himself.
Per Eric Woodyard of Deseret News, Gobert sees the selection as a reward for his team's efforts:
“Always an honor. I don’t take it for granted, and I see it as reward of what we do as a team. None of that is possible without the work of my teammates and the coaching staff.”
Jazz center Rudy Gobert on being named to All-Defensive First Team for 3rd straight year: “Always an honor. I don’t take it for granted, and I see it as reward of what we do as a team. None of that is possible without the work of my teammates and the coaching staff.”
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) May 22, 2019
In the regular season, Gobert averaged 15.9 points per game, 12.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks (third in the league), and 2.0 assists per game. He was the Jazz's main defensive guy. When the offense was able to break thru the guards, Gobert was the last line of defense to either bother the shot or sway it away.
Thanks to his efforts, the Jazz were the second best defensive team in the regular season with a rating of 105.2. They were also in the top five in defensive rebounds, defensive rebounds percentage, blocked shots, opponent 2nd chance points, opponent fast break points.
Indeed, Gobert is one of the key reasons why the Jazz performed well in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs. He'll go down in the books as one of the best defensive stoppers in the league.
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