Though I’m skeptical that this is a possibility, the Jazz could feasibly target a replacement for Rudy Gobert. I don’t think rim protectors of Gobert’s stature are available at a dime a dozen, but there are plenty of functional defensive centers out there that might be able to offer more on the offensive end. Beyond that, there are some All-Star caliber players the team should at least consider.
Gobert scores a perfectly fine 15 or so points per game over the last few years, but his offensive game is not anything like what jives with the NBA today. The Jazz were the most accurate 3-point shooting team in the league last season (38.0 percent) but attempted the 10th-most. If they could increase their attempted threes by just a few per game without sacrificing too much efficiency, it would make for a much more potent offense.
Now, with most players as you add more offense you’re probably going to give up some defense, especially when you’re talking about giving up a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
There is one feasible candidate that fits this bill — Myles Turner, who was mentioned in plenty of trade rumors at this year’s deadline. With Domantas Sabonis filling into his shoes this year and getting named to his first All-Star team, it’s easy to see the potential redundancy in a starting lineup that includes both him and Turner.
Turner is not Gobert, but he’s actually quite close. He anchored the league’s third best defense in terms of points allowed per game (6th-best in terms of defensive rating).
Within six feet of the rim Turner forces opponents to shoot 62.0 percent from the field, a 10.9 percent ding on what they’re usually able to sink.
Turner also has a big thing that Gobert doesn’t — A willingness to shoot the three and a halfway decent shot from range. Taking 4.0 3-pointers per game this year, Turner sank 34.4 percent of those shots.
If you need a replacement for Gobert, Turner is as good as any given that he allows you to not sacrifice too much in the vein of rim protecting while giving you much more versatility on the offensive end. If you want him to be in the low post, he can do that. But if you want him to stretch the floor, he can make that happen as well.
Utah Jazz</a>/Rudy Gobert storylines as quickly as we can, given that they’re extremely played out and most Jazz fans are probably tired of hearing them.</p>
<p>Yes, he was the reason the league initially suspended its season in March due to a positive COVID-19 test, and it’s possible that could have been due to his recklessness in and around the locker room. Yes, it’s possible he infected <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mitchdo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Donovan Mitchell</a>, but far from a sure thing.</p>
<p>Yes, Mitchell and Gobert have a somewhat fractured relationship, both before and after the COVID incident, something that’s been well-reported on.</p>
<p>Also, Gobert is in the final year of his contract. It makes sense for a variety of reasons for the Jazz to consider trading him. Let’s look at the case for trading and the case against trading here.</p>
<h2>The case against trading Rudy Gobert: Rudy Gobert is a premier defensive anchor</h2>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://thejnotes.com/?s=rudy+gobert%22>Rudy Gobert</a> is one of the best defensive players in the league, plain and simple. While Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis surely take the cake as far as lock-down defensive versatility, Gobert’s impact on team defense is subtle, yet extremely effective.</p>
<p>Directly, Gobert is one of the best rim protecting centers in the league. Of players that see at least 2.0 field goal attempts within six feet of the rim on defense, Gobert forces opponents to shoot 48.4 percent from the field, ninth-best in the league.</p>
<p>Gobert was also more stressed in this range than most other players, too. He sees the third-most field goal attempts per game within six feet of the rim (9.4).</p>
<p>In terms of raw counting stats, he blocks 2.0 shots per game, too, which was a down year for him in 2020. He nabbed a career-high 10.1 defensive rebounds per game in 2020 which equates to over 20 percent of opponents’ missed shots altogether.</p>
<p>Indirectly, though, it’s tougher to measure Gobert’s impact, but visually, it’s easy to see. He’s the final line of defense for the Jazz, bailing out failed rotations and drives by opponents.</p>
<p>The Jazz had the 13th-best defensive rating at 109.3, and that was anchored by Gobert.</p>
<p>Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Defensive player. His numbers aren’t empty, he’s well respected as one of the league’s premier defenders and is a top-tier rim protector.</p>
<p>Are you going to be able to replace that in free agency or the trade market? Maybe, but frankly, probably not.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The case for </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-83053" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2332,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2020%2F10%2F1270158137.jpeg" alt="Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2332" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2020/10/1270158137.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2020/10/1270158137-768x560.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>The case for trading Rudy Gobert: You might be able to better your offense</h2>
<p>Though I’m skeptical that this is a possibility, the Jazz could feasibly target a replacement for <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Rudy Gobert</a>. I don’t think rim protectors of Gobert’s stature are available at a dime a dozen, but there are plenty of functional defensive centers out there that might be able to offer more on the offensive end. Beyond that, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/24/utah-jazz-star-attainable-gobert-trade/">there are some All-Star caliber players the team should at least consider</a>.</p>
<p>Gobert scores a perfectly fine 15 or so points per game over the last few years, but his offensive game is not anything like what jives with the NBA today. The Jazz were the most accurate 3-point shooting team in the league last season (38.0 percent) but attempted the 10th-most. If they could increase their attempted threes by just a few per game without sacrificing too much efficiency, it would make for a much more potent offense.</p>
<p>Now, with most players as you add more offense you’re probably going to give up some defense, especially when you’re talking about giving up a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.</p>
<p>There is one feasible candidate that fits this bill — Myles Turner, who was mentioned in plenty of trade rumors at this year’s deadline. With Domantas Sabonis filling into his shoes this year and getting named to his first All-Star team, it’s easy to see the potential redundancy in a starting lineup that includes both him and Turner.</p>
<p>Turner is not Gobert, but he’s actually quite close. He anchored the league’s third best defense in terms of points allowed per game (6th-best in terms of defensive rating).</p>
<p>Within six feet of the rim Turner forces opponents to shoot 62.0 percent from the field, a 10.9 percent ding on what they’re usually able to sink.</p>
<p>Turner also has a big thing that Gobert doesn’t — A willingness to shoot the three and a halfway decent shot from range. Taking 4.0 3-pointers per game this year, Turner sank 34.4 percent of those shots.</p>
<p>If you need a replacement for Gobert, Turner is as good as any given that he allows you to not sacrifice too much in the vein of rim protecting while giving you much more versatility on the offensive end. If you want him to be in the low post, he can do that. But if you want him to stretch the floor, he can make that happen as well.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The case against </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-82981" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/10/27/utah-jazz-case-trading-rudy-gobert/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2317,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1197209866.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2317" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1197209866.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1197209866-768x556.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>The case against trading Rudy Gobert: Replacement acclimation time</h2>
<p>The major downside to getting a replacement for Gobert, if you can even find a suitable one like Turner, is the acclimation time. Training camps are set to start on December 1, reportedly.</p>
<p>Even if the Jazz could acquire a replacement for Gobert via a trade in mid-November, they’re going to have very little time to get to know the people, systems, and culture of the team before the season tips off, which will likely be something like December 22, according to recent reports.</p>
<p>NBA players more than ever have been accustomed to the changing nature of the day-to-day of being a professional athlete. A vast majority of the league willingly went to Orlando and holed up in hotels for months to complete the season. But there’s no way to simulate a new team other than time spent with them.</p>
<p>The Jazz and their Gobert replacement, should they decide to trade him, are going to have a rusty start, unfortunately. And with the likelihood of only 72 games on the schedule this year, every game matters that much more.</p>
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