Rudy Gobert was the best in the business at protecting the rim last season. He is a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate for next season. How do we know? Here are three stats that show his impact on opposing offenses.
AFFECTING OPPONENT’S SHOOTING AT THE RIM:
Which player affects a team’s field goal percentage the most at the rim? It’s Rudy Gobert. Opponents shot just 40.4% within 5 feet of the rim last season against Gobert, with Gobert within 5 feet of the shooter. That was best in the league among all big men. Overall, Gobert allowed .82 points per shot, nearly identical to league leader Draymond Green.
Lowest Opp FG Pct At Rim
Bigs; Last Season
Opp FG Pct
Rudy Gobert 40.4%
Serge Ibaka 40.8%
Andrew Bogut 41.4%
>min. 50 games played
BLOCKING SHOTS:
Rudy Gobert led the NBA in block percentage, which shows the percentage of two-point field goals blocked by a player while on the court (estimated). His block percentage was at a rate 12.9% higher than Anthony Davis’ rate.
Highest Block Pct
Last Season
Block Pct
Rudy Gobert 7.0%
Anthony Davis 6.2%
Serge Ibaka 5.8%
ON vs OFF COURT IMPACT:
To determine whether it was a defensive system or a teammate’s impact that influenced statistics, I looked at how well Rudy Gobert’s opponents shot without him on the court. The Jazz saw their defensive rating improve by 6.8% with Rudy Gobert on the court, and their opponent’s effective field goal percentage was 8.9% worse.
Top Rim Protector Candidates
Defensive Impact On/Off Court; Last Season
Defensive Rating Impact Opp eFG pct Impact
Rudy Gobert +6.8% -8.9%
Andrew Bogut +5.0% -5.3%
Serge Ibaka +3.9% -1.9%
Anthony Davis +3.5% -2.4%