Rudy Gobert is a playoff joke

[ArbitraryWater]

The Gobert hate is excessive. No, he's not an elite player but there is no center in the l league that you would want isolated with Doncic on the perimeter. In league history the only guy I would feel good about is young Kevin Garnett.

Who knows.

What we know though is that Gobert looked straight up silly.

[BarberSchool]

Should be stripped of his DPOY trophy Luka absolutely violated him

98% certain Luka said:

“HOLD THAT MOTHERFU@KAAAA !!!”

“YOU CAN’T FU@KIN GUARD ME !!!”

[Real Men Wear Green]

Who knows.

What we know though is that Gobert looked straight up silly.

Of course it was hopeless. A 7 foot paint protector isn't built to defend the top scorer in the league. If you told JJ Watt to defend Randy Moss he would get smoked. Does that mean he sucks as a defender? The Wolves as a team have to recognize that Gobert is in an awful position and send help.

[Charlie Sheen]

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...08210716667956

[FultzNationRISE]

The thing is he walked Jaden McDaniels down for a big bucket in the final minute of game 1. So it’s not just Toody.

It’d be tough for anyone but a prime LeLockdown frankly.

[Kblaze8855]

Green is in a different category. He's not a seven-footer, more like a tweener forward except in a good way defensively. Bam could maybe hang but I don't think he'd be quick enough. There could be some footage or there though.

being smaller and more mobile is what makes them more useful in a lot of situations. The whole issue is appearance and accolades versus real world situational effectiveness. I suspect the reason Rudy is so openly disrespected by so many different kinds of players(including current teammates who of course won’t do it now) Is the gulf between accolades and how real games are decided. The players voted him the most overrated player in the league and I believe he got second place another year.

I don’t think it’s because they think he isn’t a good defender. I think it’s because they hear defensive player of the year about someone who they game plan to attack and hope to have matched up on them. I can’t remember the role player who said it, but he came right out in the media and said he was told to get some extra work in and he knew he would have a chance at a big game because they would put Rudy on him. It wasn’t Terrence Mann who gave him 39 or whatever to beat them. It was after that.

Role players knew if he’s on them they can shoot open threes all day. And stars know they can hunt him situationally. You see after the game Luka sat there laughing at the idea he was a defensive player of the year and said he can’t move, but he can move better than Rudy. He is literally sought out.

Hunted for. It is not because he’s a bad defender obviously. It’s because he’s a fish out of water. He’s Mutombo moved 30 years ahead. I’m sure he’s a vocal guy about defense and preaches it. But when the game starts, his job is to defend the other team. Which is great for certain on off statistics. But when your specialty is defending the other team, you can be exploited in a league of offenses that hunt mismatches.

You’re trying to defend the other team. The other team is trying to find matchups. Over the course of thousands of possessions taking away a lot of layups produces great defensive numbers. But the awards that result from that are of no use when a guy can simply select you to defend him by bringing up a screen and making you switch. Taking away 290 layups does wonders For metrics. It’s not very useful when you’re on an island and that’s what the playoffs is. They’re gonna find who they can pick on. Jokic picked on him till they had to take him off and put KAT on and double.

And it worked. But the go to tactic being to avoid the defensive player of the year having to guard somebody personally is probably pretty funny to the other players. I saw it said that the most overrated vote just showed players don’t respect defense, except the most underrated is always a defender. Jrue Holliday has won it. Derrick White was voted this year. Players showed great respect for Dort.

Players are in a league that hunts and targets the defender they want. They go into games knowing Rudy can be a target. Nobody wants Dort to switch on them. Nobody thinks that’s an easy night. They might handle him but it’s not a night off.

Rudy is a night off guy or a target and it just doesn’t match the reputation because the rep is earned by voters thinking about big picture metrics and trends while basketball players think about how they prepare and execute a game plan. That’s the source of the gulf between respect, accolades, and the opinions of the people who have to play.

And fans see it as well. DPOY….analyst after the game question why he was on the floor for the biggest defensive possession. That….is not ideal.

luckily, they are in a situation with enough talent, and great man defenders that you can’t write anything off. He’s in the situation he’s always needed to be. Just one of the guys. Considering that he doesn’t deserve as much blame as he will get if they lose. Not like he can take over a game. Hes there to create a steady presence and mentality that holds the other team in check as a whole. You can’t tell him to just go and win you a series, but the criticism he gets feels like people expect it.

So from that POV…yes. It may be excessive.

[warriorfan]

Think he yelled "go home bitch" to someone in the crowd shortly after too

lmao he was off some different shit. he was punking anderson when he was on the bench and it was pretty savage. luka taking no prisoners tonight

[r0drig0lac]

never seen a big with more BUTTER FINGERs.

This guy just cannot catch a ball cleanly off the board or off the pass.

doesnt have a go to shot.

poor balance too.

Had this been 90s decade, he has zero chance of making out of NBDL.

today's soft cushy era, he is 4 x DPOY.

Cant even imagine what a guy like Ben Wallace will do to him in a match-up.

this

[Real Men Wear Green]

So from that POV…yes. It may be excessive.

This is what I'm really saying. Certain poster on this forum wants to act like he's a superstar and his current team made a trade for him that showed they agree with that assessment. That doesn't mean he deserves the level of scorn he gets. One of the main ways teams have been attacking the Celtic defense this postseason is forcing Al Horford to defend a guard in a switch. But we all understand that it's tough to expect a big to defend a guard by himself. If we are judging Gobert fairly we know he has limitations. It's really on the coaching staff to not put him in that position. Either be ready to help him if he's forced to switch on to Doncic or don't have him out there. I don't know about you but when I saw them matched up like that I knew it was over.

[Kblaze8855]

My first thought when they switched was that Luka was going to hit a step back three. And I was watching the game with the same absolute non sports fan woman I was watching the bubble series vs the clippers with when he hit that buzzer beater. I told her then he would hit it but this time I just chuckled. It’s one of those things that requires no insight. I’m not saying I knew anything. You see that set up you think step back three for the win. Luka definitely looked at him as food. People just don’t respect when a DPOY is food. A switch everything league just can’t have a slow footed bumbling Mutombo type who can’t be expected to step out as DPOY without laughs.

no matter how Statistically, impactful removing a chunk of layups is over the course of time it just doesn’t matter when offenses can choose to isolate and destroy you and laugh about it in the post game. When your “dominant” performance in response is generally 14-18 almost all of which will be created by someone else and dropped in your lap and 18 rebounds 14 of which are generally uncontested(like with everyone) you just aren’t gonna beat the allegations.

Apparently, he isn’t that likable either. He had publicized issues with several teammates. Took a swing at one last year on the bench. Players and fans just don’t **** with him in general. And when you’re disliked and your calling card is also exploitable?

Just a recipe to be be considered overrated.

But when you really think about it? He’s crossed that threshold where enough people don’t like him where it’s hard for him to be overrated. He’s the opposite of when Marion was considered the most underrated player by the entire world to the point nobody was still underrating him.

Hes fine for what he is. He can be hunted but his team can win even as that happens. And no doubt his general pro defense mentality and encouragement contributes to total team defense even when he’s picked on.

Hes generally a positive to have. And he works very hard. You can see he takes it personal when he’s picked on but…he’s just out there stumbling around looking bad. He looks like an actual joke from a physical comedy out there because he’s trying soooooo hard not to get eaten up in space. And players are just laughing at him.

I feel for him at those times. A little. Not a lot. But I feel for him.

[tpols]

Toots defense wasn't even that bad. He did close out on the shot within like... 5 or 6 inches. He looked goofy doing it which is what made it comical. But Luka is so calibrated that he knows that small amount of space makes it basically an open jump shot. If the wolves were smart they'd have blitzed doubled him with either PJ or DJJs man and forced those guys to hit.

[tpols]

I feel bad for rudy though because when Shaq and Barkley and the inside the nba crew brings his name up everybody immediately starts smirking and laughing.

Like this dude busts his ass at his job more than probably 95% of the human population and he gets clowned for it.

[Overdrive]

Why don't they just try to soft hedge in such a situation? What's the worst that can happen? A two pointer off the PnR? A kickout from the PnR Would waste alot of time. Maybe a 35 foot 3pter while switching back? Any of these options is better than giving Luka a three.

It's like they do that on purpose to Rudy.

[Xiao Yao You]

Toots defense wasn't even that bad. He did close out on the shot within like... 5 or 6 inches. He looked goofy doing it which is what made it comical. But Luka is so calibrated that he knows that small amount of space makes it basically an open jump shot. If the wolves were smart they'd have blitzed doubled him with either PJ or DJJs man and forced those guys to hit.

He contested it. The offense has the advantage. Shouldnt have come down to that. When your so called stars dont show up it makes it tough

[Kblaze8855]

I feel bad for rudy though because when Shaq and Barkley and the inside the nba crew brings his name up everybody immediately starts smirking and laughing.

Like this dude busts his ass at his job more than probably 95% of the human population and he gets clowned for it.

can you imagine one of those youtube montages of reactions if you could get the 20 best from other players watching that shot? The laughter would be deafening. He is so widely mocked is crazy.

And it isn’t one demographic or kind of player. Multiple other elite defenders laugh at him. Draymond. Patrick Beverly saying he had to look up the French word for trash when he watched him on film. Edwards saying KP was better defending the rim and Rudy “Don’t put no fear in my heart” before of course having to play nice now. Luka laughing in the post game last night. I remember Westbrook laughing saying “No he’s not…” when a fan courtside said Rudy was the DPOY after(before?) he scored on him again. Didnt Kyle Anderson tell him to shut the **** up and block some shots right before Rudy tried to punch him? Jokic with the “Brother…I have 47” when Jokic doesn’t seem to care about any of it.




This is the clippers watching him shoot:





Its every race and background and nationality.

You never saw that with people like Ben Wallace who also had a small offensive role.

People just don’t like that dude and it bleeds over into coverage and fan perception. I don’t know what it could be in person but what we can see doesn’t seem THAT bad.