The NBA2K Evolution of Rudy Gobert

Every summer the NBA 2K franchise updates their player profiles and ratings. And every summer Utah Jazz players are underrated. Perhaps no one understands this better than All-NBA center Rudy Gobert.

Since his first year in the league, the 2K version of Rudy has never been as good as the actual Stifle Tower. He has defied all odds to become the player that he is, and his progression within the video game can tell that story.

NBA 2K14

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Rating: 52

52!? Are you kidding me? A first round draft pick and his rating starts at 52! To put that into perspective, here are the 27th picks since Rudy: Kyle Kuzma 72, Pascal Siakam 67, Larry Nance Jr. 66, and Bogdan Bogdanovic didn’t get a rating because he stayed in Europe. 72, 67, 66, and 52. One of these things is not like the other.

This was so ridiculous, in fact, that only 8 players in the entire NBA were rated worse than Gobert: Fab Melo, D.J. Mbenga, Solomon Jones, Kyryrlo Fesekno, Jason Collins, Darnell Jackson and Brian Cardinal. None of them are on an NBA roster today.

Gobert would go on to have a decent rookie season, despite he-who-must-not-be-named (Tyrone Corbin for those so daring). He dominated the D-League to the tune of 13.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game. His per 36 minutes in the NBA were similar at 8.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

This earned him an update heading into the next version of the game.

NBA 2K15

Rating: 71

Alright, I think I can accept a 19 point jump. He should have started higher initially, but they recognized that he had talent and at least belonged in the league. And yet Gobert would still be drastically underrated by seasons end.

Players rated higher: Randy Foye 74, Glen Davis 74, Jimmer Fredette 72, Andrea Bargnani 72, Steve Novak 72, Kendrick Perkins 74. Again, none of them are currently on an NBA roster.

2015 was a tale of two seasons for Gobzilla. Before the all-star break, he was averaging 6.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 21.9 minutes a game. Then Former Player (Enes Kanter) demanded a trade heading into the break, opening up the starter spot for Rudy. Addition by subtraction was real and Rudy began playing 34.4 minutes a night and averaged 11.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks to end the season.

He anchored a 19-10 Jazz run after the break and was due for a big upgrade.

NBA 2K16

Rating: 79

Hey! Video game Rudy is starting to look more like real life Rudy. That’s progress! 79 is also a pretty respectable rating. And somehow he was still under appreciated compared to some of his peers.

Players rated better than Gobert: Victor Oladipo 80, Ty Lawson 81, Monta Ellis 81, Lou Williams 80, Greg Monroe 81, Enes Kanter 80 (!), Brandon Jennings 80.

This was actually a fairly rough year for Rudy. He had a busy offseason playing for France in the Eurobasket 2015. An injury in early December didn’t help, and he never did seem quite right. Despite the injury and fatigue, he established himself as one of the best rim protectors in the league. He was 2nd in DBPM, 17th in DWS, 7th in RPG, and 3rd in blocks and block%.

How much would becoming a bonafide starter and premier defender bump his rating?

NBA 2K17

Rating: 81

Rudy mentioned on Twitter at the time that they even got the barber right this time! Not only that, but he had broken the 80’s. Because his previous year didn’t go as well as planned, I can’t blame them for underestimating the impact he would have in the 2016-2017 season.

Players rated better: Dwight Howard 84, Reggie Jackson 82, Kevin Love 82, Dirk Nowitzki 84, Jonas Valanciunas 82, Hassan Whiteside 85, Andrew Wiggins 82.

I don’t think I need to explain much about Gobert’s season last year. He was dominate. 14 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks were all career highs. He led the league in blocks (214), DWS (6.0), and TS% (.681). He was incredibly efficient on offense, and terrified people on defense—earning him First Team All-Defense. He should have been an All-Star and he should have been All-NBA 1st team. He was 3rd in MIP voting and 2nd for DPOY.

Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for the rest of the NBA, he didn’t receive all of those accolades and has further fuel for next season. Speaking of which.

NBA 2K18

Rating: 88

Offense will always be disproportionately more valued than defense. So here we are again with Rudy getting a little low-balled. He was the best defensive center, no, he was the most impactful defensive player in the league last year, yet all he got was an 88.

Players rated better: DeMar DeRozan 89, Karl-Anthony Towns 91. More to be released later.

In the end, NBA 2K player ratings don’t really matter. Just ask Joe Ingles:

That being said, every single year Rudy Gobert has outperformed his rating and expectations. I have no reason to believe he won’t do that again. He was already the leader, but now he is the face of the Utah Jazz franchise. I can’t wait to see what he does with another hard-working offseason under his belt, and a bigger role in the offense.

Could this be the year Rudy Gobert finally receives the respect and recognition he deserves?