Minnesota Timberwolves Big Man Rudy Gobert recently appeared The young man and the three podcast of Tommy Alter. During this interview, Gobert opened about some of the players who helped shape his game when he was younger. One of the players that Gobert mentioned was Joakim Noah.
“I remember looking a lot from Joakim Noah, Gobert said when he asked if there was anyone asked in his career that he would look at different things. Even before I was in the competition, I looked at his high rebound games, such as how he gets 25 rebounds? I would try to view and understand.”
Gobert also mentioned Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, Amre Stoudamire and Tim Duncan as players he would watch to close his game around. Noah, however, was the first name he mentioned. There are certainly a few similarities between the games of Gobert and Noah. However, their playing styles are also a bit different, which makes Gobert Noah so interesting.
The similarities and differences between Gobert and Noah
As elite defenders and hard rebounders, there is a clear connection between these two big men. Given that Gobert has specifically called Noah’s Rebound, it is honest to believe that he has learned a few things from looking at Noah.
Gobert in particular has an average of 11.7 rebounds for his career, while Noah had an average of 9 rebounds for his career. Both players stand out as elite rim protectors. Of course Gobert has won four defensive player of the year awards. Noah won DPOY in the 2013-14 season and made three all-defensive teams. Noah anchored some elite defenses with the Chicago Bulls.
Both centers also have exceptionally high basketball -IQs. Perhaps watching Noah Gobert helped develop this aspect of his game.
Despite the similarities between the two players, they are also different in some ways. With Gobert a more traditional drop cover, great man in defense, and a classic lob threat and screener attacking. Conversely, Noah had some more versatility at both ends of the court. The product in Florida more often switched to smaller players and he was one of the better passing centers in his Prime.
That of course does not make Noah a better player. Gobert is a historically large rim protector. Noah agreed only once in his career with Gobert’s career average of 2.1 blocks per game. Moreover, Noah has not deterred the opponent’s strategy in the same way. The point is that they are both great centers, but with different styles.
Given this, it is somewhat surprising that Noah was one of the most important players who watched Gobert Film. From the same era, Tyson Chandler is very similar to Gobert’s Playstyle. The great thing about watching film, however, is that you can learn things from a wide range of players.
#Rudy #Gobert #reveals #surprising #player #helped #shape #play