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Rudy Gobert told us before this season this was going to be his best year ever. I definitely believed him, but I did not think it would be this drastic, including breaking records that were held by the legendary Jazz man Karl Malone. With 17 points and 13 rebounds last night against the suns, Gobert recorded his 63rd point-rebound double-double of the year. This passed Karl Malone’s 1987-88 record that was set by the mailman during his reign upon the basketball world. He will also still have some time to separate himself and build on his own record with four games remaining.
With his 63rd pt-reb double-double of the year, Rudy Gobert has set the Jazz record for most pt-reb double-doubles in a single season (previously, Karl Malone - 62 in 1987-88) #TakeNote #TeamIsEverything
— Utah Jazz PR (@UtahJazzPR) April 4, 2019
What an incredible feat by Rudy Gobert. For somebody with *no offense*, Rudy has tallied at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 63 of 78 possible games this season so far. That is pretty amazing if you think about it. He is fifth all-time in Jazz franchise history with 197 career double-doubles, and has a ways to go to catch Stockton and Malone with 714 and 799 respectively. He will most likely move up to third all-time once he passes Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer who have 202 and 212 respectively. It takes a lot to be able to consistently perform at a level high enough to obtain double-doubles on a nightly basis.
It’s been an amazing season. Just a few games after he broke the regular season NBA dunk record, Rudy Gobert just keeps on going. What’s next for Gobzilla? Back-to-back DPOY? All-NBA? Western Conference Finals? Championship? Honestly, the sky is the limit. You can never count him out. And if you, he will probably prove you wrong.
It’s hard to imagine that this great season hasn’t been improved due to his All-Star snub, and using that as motivation to keep improving and proving the doubters wrong.
Donovan Mitchell, on Rudy Gobert: "He hasn’t changed his mentality — I think it’s grown even more after All-Star [weekend]. I think that is just a testament to his work ethic. He’s determined, and you see it on a daily basis in practice and in games." pic.twitter.com/bpNXG7za3b
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) April 3, 2019
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote a nice feature piece on Rudy Gobert, and how much of an underrated weapon he has been this season. It’s about time people on a national level start to understand Gobert’s impact offensively, as most everyone is already aware of his defensive prowess.
Dig a little deeper than the traditional box score and it’s obvious that reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert is a dominant offensive force for the Jazz. https://t.co/22KVFSftKL
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 2, 2019
Gobert’s recent double-double milestone is a big deal, but there is much more in store for him. He wants to bring a championship to Utah. If the players surrounding him can play their best basketball, and if Dennis Lindsey can find appropriate help where needed, it might just happen.