2. Rudy Gobert
- Year drafted: 2013
- All-star appearances: One
Rudy Gobert should be considered the best defensive player in the NBA right now, even if Anthony Davis is making a great case to be named the Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert is the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year and has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the last three seasons.
That is why it is surprising to see that Gobert has only been an all-star once in his career, which like Siakam, happened this season. Defense usually is not appreciated as much as offensive output, especially when that defense is being a seven-foot-tall brick wall, but I would have thought that Gobert had more than one all-star appearance.
It is not like Gobert is a complete non-factor on the offensive side of the ball, either. Gobert has averaged a combined 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over the last four seasons. Not the most impressive numbers, but certainly worth more than one all-star appearance.
For Gobert, it very well is a case of him coming along in the wrong era. While he is still undoubtedly valuable in the modern NBA, he would have been much more valuable if he came along in the ’80s or ’90s.
However, in 2020 as a big man that cannot shoot, Gobert can be easily exposed when the going gets tough and teams have exposed that matchup in playoff series before. If the Jazz were to play the Rockets in the playoffs then Gobert would almost be unusable with Houston’s floor spacing.
Still, he is a valuable NBA player and certainly is all-star-caliber.