James, meanwhile, went from getting more than half of the first-place votes in the last straw poll to getting none this time. He was left off nearly two-thirds of the ballots entirely, garnering just 37 total votes and 105 points. He was just ahead of Chris Paul, who had two first-place votes and 98 total points, with Kawhi Leonard (80 points, including one first-place vote) in eighth, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (28 points) in ninth and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (26 points) in 10th.
Rudy Gobert Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 06/26/92
Height: 7-1 / 2.16
Weight:255 lbs. / 115.7 kg.
Salary: $26,775,281
Born: 06/26/92
Height: 7-1 / 2.16
Weight:255 lbs. / 115.7 kg.
Salary: $26,775,281
When opponents do drive on him and try attacking at the rim, they’re only shooting 50.2 percent against Capela. That’s sixth-tenths of a percentage point worse than Gobert, who’s seen as one of the favorites in the DPOY race. I, myself, questioned before the start of the season if Capela was going to be as good as the Hawks talked him up to be and what they, frankly, needed him to be because of the center depth. He was never this good for the Rockets, but he’s been a godsend for this organization after having arguably the worst center depth rotation last season. Capela is not only third in the NBA in blocks, first in rebounds, but he’s also second in DRAPM, second in DRPM and second in defensive RAPTOR, all advanced metrics that Gobert ranks first in. This story isn’t about why Capela should win the award, only how he needs to be in the conversation. As someone who voted for the league’s awards last season, Capela would be on my ballot with Gobert and Simmons; and he would be on my second-team All-Defense.
Ben Simmons on Rudy Gobert's DPOY candidacy: I scored 42 on him
Ben Simmons touted his versatility in an interview with host Rachel Nichols. And he couldn’t resist taking a shot at Gobert in the process. “I’m one of those guys who can guard one through five,” Simmons said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of respect for Rudy. I know what he’s capable of. I know he’s great down there in the paint. But he’s not guarding everybody, and that’s just what it is. He guarded me in Utah. I had 42. And apparently I’m not a scorer. It is what it is.”
Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on the fatigue factor: “There is. I take a lot of pride in trying to not miss any games. … If I’m tired, if I’m beat up, I try to be there for my team. I try to not show it. … But this is season is a little more condensed, and we’re gonna have to be smart.”
Recently, you were on a flight to Memphis when the team plane had to make an emergency landing after hitting a flock of birds. It sounds like it was pretty scary, with the whole plane shaking. We’re glad you’re okay. What happened? Rudy Gobert: “It was scary. It’s something that I’ve never experienced before, and I’ve flown on a lot of planes. I think there was about 10-15 minutes where we didn’t really know what was going on. The pilots were trying to figure it out and we didn’t have much information, so it was pretty scary, for sure.”
It feels like everyone is talking about the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers as championship favorites, even though your Utah Jazz have the NBA’s best record. It’s kind of getting ridiculous. Do you guys talk about that or use that as motivation? Rudy Gobert: “I mean, for us, our mindset is to just keep getting better. We know that at the end of the day, we haven’t really accomplished nothing yet. It’s really going to come down to the playoffs. It definitely motivates us. We think we have an opportunity to do some great things. We have a great group of guys, a great coaching staff and a great organization. I think everything that’s being said about us is just noise, at the end of the day, and we control our own destiny. It’s on us to keep getting better and, once it’s playoff time, lock in and make history.”
This year, your goal as a team is to win a title. What does this Jazz team need to do in order to win a championship this season? Rudy Gobert: “I think, for us, it’s really about getting better until the playoffs. And then during the playoffs, stick together — we’re going to have some ups, we’re going to have some downs. And then, keep defending at a high level. Offensively, when we share the ball, we have so many offensive weapons that it’s really hard to game-plan to stop us. So I think our team chemistry is huge, and staying together. I think we have a great group of guys that are willing to sacrifice for one another, and that’s what makes us a really great team. But yeah, just keep getting better, stay healthy and it’s going to be a fun end to the season and the playoffs, hopefully.”
