Much like former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert is still motivated by falling to the 27th slot in the 2013 NBA Draft. Like Green, the Utah Jazz center can recite each of the players that went before him that day.
“I got drafted 27th, I was a little frustrated to be drafted so low,” Gobert told Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report. “So I thought it was a great reminder, to myself, and to everyone that kind of didn't draft me.”
Gobert proceeded to name all the players who were selected before him, starting of course, with all-time bust Anthony Bennett:
Rudy Gobert still thinks about the players selected before him when he fell to 27th in the Anthony Bennett draft.
The Jazz star opened up about the chip he plays with on a new “Take It There with @TaylorRooks” https://t.co/a9xGX9XJ62 pic.twitter.com/AxHBvZGDFd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 24, 2019
The 2013 NBA Draft boasted some good talent, including Giannis Antetokounmpo (15th), Victor Oladipo (second), Otto Porter Jr. (third), CJ McCollum (10th), and others like Steven Adams (12th) and Dennis Schroder (17th).
However, looking back, it's tough to blame scouts for drafting him so low in the first round. Other prospects had much better output and a bigger sample than Gobert, who was an international player who had only been closely watched by international scouts.
The 7-foot-1 Frenchman had ruthless shot-blocking potential and great metrics, but was slow of foot, unrefined on offense, and unused to the pace of the NBA game — all demerits that counted against him and made him more of a late-round gamble than a hidden gem.
To his credit, Gobert has improved every season, going from playing in only 45 games and averaging 2.3 points, to his stud-like 15.9 points and 12.9 rebounds per game this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe