NEW YORK — Rudy Gobert will tell you he's the NBA's best center right now. His coach won't disagree.
But before he became an All-Star hopeful and the literal center of one of the league's sneaky contenders, Gobert was just a 21-year-old French kid trying to learn the NBA. He played in 45 games as a rookie—barely more than half the year—and had to find other ways to progress.
Defense came easy. His skyscraper height (7'1") and Mr. Fantastic-like reach (7'8 ½", the longest wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine) make him impossible to shoot over. His bouncy feet make him hard to circumvent.
But Gobert just couldn't figure out how to harness all those tools into a steady offensive game. He'd bail out of screens too early or flash to the paint too late. His rail-thin frame prevented him from maintaining strong position in the paint. His wretched foul shooting (under 60 percent for his career entering this season) made him timid while attacking the hoop.
So he began by studying film with Alex Jensen, a Utah Jazz assistant coach.
"To make everything habitual ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Yaron Weitzman
Years of Polishing Have Made Rudy Gobert an Elite NBA Center
January 5th, 2017 by Yaron Weitzman Leave a reply »
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