It's not often Utah Jazz C Rudy Gobert is on the opposite end of a defensive highlight. Typically, he's the one delivering the punishment near the rim — averaging more than two blocks per game for his entire NBA career. But roles were reversed during Utah's tilt against the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Early in the second quarter of their home matchup against the Rockets, rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. gave the Frenchman a dose of his own medicine.
The son of former NBA great Kenyon Martin was selected by Houston with the 52nd pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, and signed a four-year deal that's fully guaranteed in the first season. He made his NBA debut on Jan. 8, but was assigned to Houston's G-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers — where he played 10 games and averaged 17.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks before being called up alongside Kevin Porter Jr.
With a myriad of injuries and defections descending upon Houston and promising first-year coach Stephen Silas, the Rockets haven't been roaring this season.
But if Houston is going to fully embrace the youth movement moving forward, Martin and his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame could be a swell piece for it.