Rudy Gobert had a coming out party for the NBA during the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks for the World Team.
The Utah Jazz eventually traded Enes Kanter at the deadline, which promoted Gobert into a full-time starting role. Since then, Gobert has averaged 10.5 points, 14.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 57 percent from the field.
Another big man who’s played well lately has been New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis. He’s on pace to become the fourth player in league history with a player efficiency rating above 31. Only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James have previously done so. If the Pelicans make the playoffs, don’t be surprised if he gets serious MVP consideration as I outlined in my previous column.
With that in mind, I joined 1320 AM KFAN in Utah and hosts Kyle Gunther and Ben Anderson to discuss Gobert’s emergence, Anthony Davis’ realistic chances at the MVP award and the league’s top title contenders. We also looked back at the Deron Williams trade for the Brooklyn Nets.
Here’s the podcast in its entirety:
Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeAScotto.