Sometimes after getting burned by a great player such as Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets, the only thing to do is take responsibility and hope that the highlights of you getting dunked on don't live in perpetuity. At least that's the approach Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert seems to be employing.
Speaking with Jazz reporters following the team's loss to the Denver Nuggets, in which Nikola Jokic eviscerated the big man to the tune of 47 points, Gobert did not shy away from shouldering much of the blame for the lackluster defensive effort.
“He got it going early,” Gobert said according to Jazz beat writer Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I should have done a much better job. He scored way too easily, especially in the first half. … I take full responsibility for that. The team relies on me, and I’ve got to do a better job.”
While Gobert served as the primary defender on Jokic for much of the night, he was not the only Jazz center to admit fault, with teammate Derrick Favors also suggesting he could have played with more energy.
Though Jokic's performance against Utah was surprising given the intensity that the Jazz usually operate with on the court's defensive side, the Denver center has made a habit this season of destroying teams on the interior. With the Nuggets off to a tidy 12-8 start to the season, Jokic is on pace to set career-highs in points, assists, rebounds, and field goal percentage, as he has thrust himself into the MVP conversation.
If he continues to dominate like the way he has through the first 20 games of the season, Rudy Gobert of the Jazz won't be the last defender Nikola Jokic burns, and it will be fascinating to see how well these two teams perform as they challenge the Los Angeles teams — the Lakers and Clippers — in the jockeying for the top four playoff seeds in the West.
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