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SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell stood behind Rudy Gobert hoping the big man would tell the media how he really felt about his performance. Or at least a part of it.
When Gobert was asked about his four blocks — specifically the ones on Draymond Green — Mitchell began egging Gobert on.
“Say it,” Mitchell said. “Say what you want to say.”
Gobert smiled, but he didn’t oblige. At least not to the extent Mitchell was hoping for.
“I had four blocks, but how many times did I come over and protect the paint?” Gobert said. “(I was) protecting the rim and my teammates were doing a great job at the triple line.”
How many times? You’d lose count quick. The Jazz played arguably their best defensive game of the season and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year had perhaps his best game, too. The Warriors shot just 57 percent at the rim and 33 percent from mid-range. A lot of that had to do with Gobert's massive presence.
Gobert contested 3-pointers (including a late Steph Curry triple), he contested mid-range shots and he provided his customary rim protection.
“That may be the biggest thing for him is challenging shots,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “Whether they’re jump shots or mid-range shots or shots at the rim. It’s not easy to be up on Steph Curry and up on KD (Kevin Durant) to not let them get open looks in screen situations and then get back to protect the rim, but that’s what he wants to try and do as well.”
Gobert did more than just try on Wednesday. He succeeded in containing guards and then rushing back to protect the rim. He was a master of guarding two players at once and not allowing many open drives to the rim.
“It’s pretty hard,” Gobert said. “But I embrace it. I embrace the challenge. I have to be aware, have to focus, have to know who is coming on the pick and roll, who is behind me.”
It’s the next step in Gobert’s progression as a defender, and it's one he has been tirelessly working on this year. He knows that with the league having more and more shooting big man, he is being asked to defend more on the perimeter. There have been times Gobert has struggled with that at times, but Wednesday's game showed that he is adapting — and adapting well.
But it also takes some help from his teammates. Snyder acknowledged that Gobert is at his best when he doesn’t have to cover up for the other Jazz players.
“I think that part of the thing for us with Rudy is that we've got to defend well as a team and that allows Rudy to have more of an impact,” Snyder said. “If Rudy’s having to clean up mistakes, he can be impactful, but it's more effective for us if he can make a play where we’ve done a good job as a group defensively prior to him having to make a play.”
And Gobert was quick to credit his teammates for their contributions to the Jazz’s stellar defensive night.
“It’s all about trust,” Gobert said. “I have to give them confidence and have their back. I have to be there and try to cover them at the rim. We did a great job doing that tonight.”
But those answers weren't sufficient for Mitchell. And he didn’t stop chirping at Gobert until he had left the locker room.
“Say it,” Mitchell said as he walked away. “Say it.”
Gobert never did, but he did offer up a little when he was asked if he was the best defensive player in the league.
“I believe so,” Gobert said. “But it’s a team game. It’s about what we do as a team.”
