Donovan Mitchell, Jazz Beat Trae Young, Hawks as Rudy Gobert Drops 25
Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 13 rebounds and Ricky Rubio added 22 points and 11 assists as the Utah Jazz beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-112 on Friday at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.
Donovan Mitchell added 15 points and five assists for the 30-23 Jazz, who have won 10 of 12.
Trae Young had 28 points and nine assists for the 16-35 Hawks.
Gobert Proves Why He Should Be All-Star Over Aldridge, Towns
Gobert has not been named to an NBA All-Star Game during his six-year career. This season was his best chance, as evidenced by the career-high 15.0 points and 12.8 rebounds he averaged leading into Friday.
However, Gobert was left out again, leading to an emotional press conference about his All-Star snub:
Gobert may have gone out Friday with the NBA coaches' decision to leave him off the roster in mind. His 25 points came on just seven shots, all of which were makes. Per Andy Bailey of Hardwood Knocks and SLC Dunk, Gobert accomplished the feat of 25 or more points on seven or fewer shots for just the 18th time in NBA history.
He went 11-of-15 from the free-throw line, and the Jazz went plus-14 while he was on the floor in the third quarter. Gobert's stats during that frame: nine points, seven boards and two blocks. Here's a look at some of his highlights from that quarter and the whole night.
The Jazz coasted to a victory over a pesky Hawks team after a sluggish first half largely thanks to Gobert's efforts, which were all the more impressive considering he sat early due to some foul trouble but rebounded nicely.
Simply put, Gobert deserved to make the All-Star team over San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
David Locke, the radio voice of the Utah Jazz, posted an all-encompassing stat explaining why:
There's no denying Gobert is the best defensive player in the game. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award last year and looks like he'll coast to that title again this season. The numbers and eye test say so.
Jay Bilas of ESPN cited his efforts on that end as why he should make it. "[Gobert] should be on the NBA All-Star team," he tweeted. "If you consider defense as important, he is a superstar that demands inclusion."
But Gobert's offensive efforts go overlooked. Yes, he's not about to shoot smooth, near-automatic mid-range turnaround jumpers like Aldridge or three-pointers like Towns. But he's extremely efficient on that end thanks to his 65-percent field-goal rate entering Friday. He's also ninth among 67 qualified centers in offensive real plus-minus, per ESPN.com.
The difference with Towns and Aldridge is that their teams heavily rely upon their offensive efforts to win ballgames. If they score fewer than 10 points, chances are it was a bad night for the Spurs or Wolves. But Gobert can affect a game in so many different ways that he doesn't need to score, which is an accomplishment in itself.
A quick look at other advanced stats gives the edge to Gobert in that trio.
Per Basketball-Reference, he is tied for first in the entire league in win shares with MVP front-runner and Houston Rockets guard James Harden. He's third in win shares/28 minutes behind only Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis.
Gobert is also fifth in VORP (value over replacement player) and fourth in true-shooting percentage among full-time starters.
Per Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder called Gobert "one of the most impactful players in the league."
Perhaps that wasn't recognized for the All-Star Game, but at this point, how can one even keep him off an All-NBA team?
What's Next?
Both teams play Saturday. The Jazz host the Houston Rockets, and the Hawks continue their road trip against the Phoenix Suns.
