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David Aldridge Picks Rudy for Most Improved Player

nightmare3983

nightmare3983

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https://www.nba.com/2015/news/featu...=587735043369369600&adbpl=tw&adbpr=1373313666

Players that get Most Improved consideration often do so in a vacuum, putting up their numbers for teams that are singularly awful. But Gobert's rise has been right in line with Utah's; since the All-Star break (cynics would note that was also around the time Utah dealt defensive sieve Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City), the Jazz has been the NBA's best defensive team, allowing just 87.9 points per game, almost six points fewer than the second-stingiest team, Memphis. Utah has held opponents to 41.8 percent shooting since the break, tops in the league, and also has the league's best defensive rating during that stretch, 94.2.

Certainly, Utah's improvement defensively is not all Gobert's doing; his teammate, Derrick Favors, has also become a menace at that end of the floor. But he has literally been in the middle of that renaissance. Fourth in the league in blocks (2.3 per game), his defensive rating this season is better than defensive stalwarts like DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol. According to NBA.com, Gobert is first among centers in the league in lowest percentage of opponent field goals at the rim this season, holding opponents to 39.9 percent shooting on such shots.
His growth offensively is still a long ways from nightly functionality, but at least Gobert attacks the offensive glass with gusto -- he's fifth in offensive rebound percentage, sixth in total offensive boards.
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Rudy is also mentioned in the DPOY category and Quin gets a shout-out in COY.
 
Thanks for posting. I think he was also selected by Thorpe as the best sophomore (Espn Insinder). Cool to see we are getting some love in national media.
 
If the Jazz can play like they have since the All-Star break over the course of a full season they'll turn even more heads next season.
 
I've always loved Aldridge's low key personality and basketball IQ. His prose has also been some of my favorite to read. He's a fantastic writer.
 
There's a lot of competition this year with Gobert, Whiteside, and Butler. As good as Rudy's rise to stardom has been, it won't be an easy award to win this year. Butler has always been the favorite, but you never know.

When was the last time a Jazz player won a major award?
 
spycam1 said:
There's a lot of competition this year with Gobert, Whiteside, and Butler. As good as Rudy's rise to stardom has been, it won't be an easy award to win this year. Butler has always been the favorite, but you never know.

When was the last time a Jazz player won a major award?
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Karl Malone's in MVP in 1999?
 
spycam1 said:
There's a lot of competition this year with Gobert, Whiteside, and Butler. As good as Rudy's rise to stardom has been, it won't be an easy award to win this year. Butler has always been the favorite, but you never know.

When was the last time a Jazz player won a major award?
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All I will say is that Butler was a contributor last year, Rudy was not. Would anyone in their right mind argue Butler has more value than Rudy? Don't think so.
 
fallenchicken said:
Zach Lowe picked him too. Good sign.
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My favourite part of his write up.

You know how teams in practice have assistant coaches hold up huge pads to simulate the presence of shot-blockers at the rim? Multiple teams have casually mentioned to me that they refer to those pads as “Gobert” — as in, “LOOK OUT FOR GOBERT!”
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People won't vote for him because they will look at his stats for the year. But no player improved more from game 1 to game 82 than Rudy. I don't think anyone improved as much from game 82 last year to game 82 this year either, but people will look at game 82 last year to game 1 this year and say that because they did it all year, they are more deserving.
 
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