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SALT LAKE CITY — When Gordon Hayward signed a four-year, $63 million deal with the Utah Jazz last summer, many people, myself included, doubted whether the fifth-year small forward could live up to the contract’s high billing.
Just months into the season, it was apparent he would.
For the season, Hayward has increased his scoring average to just under 20 points per game, and more importantly, improved his shooting percentages from the career-lows he experienced last season as Utah's go-to scoring option.
Few players in the NBA are given a max-money contract like Hayward received in the offseason, and even fewer live up to high standard it sets. Those who do often find themselves participating in the NBA's All-Star festivities, and those who don't are labeled as a financial albatross hanging from the neck of the franchise that wrote the contract.
To this point, Hayward is leading the Jazz in scoring and minutes per game, but is stuck behind a grouping of superstars in the Western Conference who will likely keep him on the outside of the All-Star game looking in.
Houston's James Harden, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Golden State's Klay Thompson all made the roster in front of Hayward in February, as did the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who didn't play due to injury.
As talented as Hayward may be, it's unlikely he'll be able to match the high scoring numbers accumulated by those four players, which often is the leading criteria for All-Star voters.
Enter Rudy Gobert.
Based solely on his draft position — the 27th out of 30 in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft that many thought was one of the weakest drafts in recent history — Gobert was a long shot to receive much national recognition after landing in Utah — one of the leagues smallest markets — which was coming off back-to-back lottery appearances. The Jazz won't appear in any of ESPN or TNT's national television broadcasts this season.
But Gobert's hard to miss.
Since taking over the starting spot for the Jazz after the NBA’s trade deadline, Gobert is averaging a double-double at 10.3 points and 15 rebounds, and adding 2.8 blocks per game.
Standing a 7-foot-2 with a 9-7 standing reach to match, Gobert literally towers above the competition. At the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, Gobert dominated his fellow sophomores and rookies in the Rising Stars challenge, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, but he fell just short of the games Most Valuable Player award that went to fellow world team member Andrew Wiggins.
As an oddity, Gobert is at the center of one of the NBA’s better nickname controversies, with "The Stifle Tower" and "The French Rejection" being debated between local and national NBA writers alike. Earning one nationally recognized nickname would bode well Gobert’s All-Star aspirations. A recognizable moniker will keep him in the conversation of the league’s All-Star voters. Having a full-blown nickname controversy will only further the narrative.
His play on the floor isn’t bad either.
Since taking over the starting spot for the Jazz after the NBA’s trade deadline, Gobert is averaging a double-double at 10.3 points and 15 rebounds, and adding 2.8 blocks per game. The Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan leads the league with 14.7 rebounds per game, while the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis leads the league with 2.9 blocks per game.
Gobert’s numbers as a starter stretched over an entire season would put him in the running to be the first player to lead the league in rebounds and blocks since Dwight Howard did it in 2009-10 with the Orlando Magic. Howard was both an All-Star, and the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year that season, and led the Magic to the Eastern Conference Finals.
With out Hayward in the lineup, the Jazz struggled at home to beat the New York Knicks, who sport the NBA’s worst record. Watching the game, it’s easy to argue that Hayward is Utah's most valuable player. The team relies on him to balance the pace of the offense, handle the majority of the scoring and be a secondary ball handler behind Dante Exum. But that might not do much for Hayward's national recognition.
While Gobert might not make the same contributions to the Jazz as Hayward does on a nightly basis, his enormous size, recognizable moniker and explosive numbers may make him an easy selection for future All-Star voters in a league lacking in quality giants.
Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.
