Interesting article on the UT-PHI game here: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/76ers-vs-jazz-takeaways-rudy-gobert-struggles-with-joel-embiid-philadelphias-late-game-offense-looks-sharp/. Points out that the Jazz have trouble in the 4Q on the defensive end, which is not surprising given their wings.
It also has this quote:
It also has this quote:
But a disturbing trend is emerging whenever Gobert plays against elite offensive big men. Nikola Jokic is averaging 41 points per game against him in two matchups this season. Embiid just hung 40 on him. Anthony Davis averaged just a tick below 30 points per game on Gobert across three matchups last season with 52%/40%/87% shooting percentages. The Jazz are 1-5 in those games.
The simple explanation here would be that these are the rare star big men that can score at an elite level both inside and out. Yes, Gobert is more comfortable away from the basket, but, well, Embiid and Jokic have still managed to punk him in the post.
There are multiple issues at play here. Gobert is a good post-defender, but hardly an elite one given his skinnier frame. He hasn't finished in the 80th percentile in points per possession allowed in the post since the 2016-17 season. The fact that Gobert has to account for the perimeter with these superstars compromises him further, especially in pick-and-roll, but more importantly, it takes Utah out of its preferred defensive alignment.
The best version of Gobert is the one dedicated entirely to rim-protection. Forcing him to defend players like Embiid, Jokic and Davis makes that significantly more difficult because they need to be accounted for at all times. That, in turn, makes it easier for the players Gobert isn't defending to get to the rim. The 76ers scored 131 points on only eight 3's Wednesday. They did that by scoring 64 points in the paint. That's nearly impossible to do against Gobert when he can protect the rim exclusively, but when he's occupied by an MVP candidate? Suddenly things get a lot easier for everybody else, and that's a problem Utah is going to have to solve in the playoffs with possible matchups against Davis, Jokic and Embiid looming.