Rudy Gobert. The Stifle Tower. Swatatouille. Those names didn't apply for Devin Booker during the Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz marquee matchup.
Call him what you want (trademark pending on ‘Swatatouille', by the way), Rudy Gobert is and will be a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate until he's so old he can't jump anymore. His long arms and instincts strike fear into every cutter, and there are few in the NBA that are brave enough to challenge him in the lane.
But for reason, when it comes to perimeter defense, Gobert has a penchant for getting exposed, for lack of a better word. It's not that he gets dusted all the time, but when does, it's always spectacular. Just ask Steph Curry, or, based on Friday's game, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns:
oh man. Devin Booker disposing of Rudy Gobert. pic.twitter.com/HCl4DXVvCc
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 1, 2021
Goodness Rudy, the move wasn't even that crazy with the acceleration, but you bit harder than a wolf on the fake. Again, slip-ups like this happen very rarely with Swatatouille, but when they do, it's always incredible.
Of course, getting cooked by the likes of Booker and Curry isn't necessarily the end of the world. Both are in the first tier of NBA scoring royalty, in the rarefied air of effortless perimeter threats that make the impossible look mundane, yet still mesmerizing every time. So Gobert shouldn't feel too bad, as he's still the leading DPOY candidate this year, no matter what Ben Simmons fans have to say about it.
Nor should the Utah Jazz care. They are still one of the best teams in the league, playing without their leader in Donovan Mitchell. All that matters now is getting to the top of the mountain — who cares if a bad highlight gets in the way now and then.
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