Shaquille O’Neal took a shot at Rudy Gobert in Complex’s GOAT Talk, saying the Wolves center is the ‘worst basketball player of all time.’ A couple of players sided with Gobert since then, the latest of whom is Patrick Beverley.
Sharing his two cents on the PatBev Pod with Rone, Mr. 94 Feet explains why the Stifle Tower is far from being the “worst” in the league.
“Rudy’s not the worst player in the NBA, right? I think he’s changed the game defensively when you talk about rim protection. Statistically, historically, in Rudy’s eyes and in Rudy’s team’s eyes, he’s the best defensive player in the world. That’s the truth,” said Beverley.
“Does that mean he can guard every position? No. But when it comes to numbers and number matrix, when it comes to rim protection, shot blocking, he’s historically one of the greats. So, from that point of view, he can’t be the worst basketball player,” the veteran guard added.
What the numbers say
Gobert can’t create his own shot, nor can he chase perimeter guys around every possession, but he can anchor an interior defense by his lonesome.
Case in point: Minnesota led the league in defensive rating last year (108.4), thanks to Rudy’s presence. They are top 5 in basically every defensive metric there is, according to NBA.com.
- Number 4 in opponents’ second chance points
- Number 2 in point paints allowed
- Number 5 in blocks
- Number 5 in defensive rebounds
Even when surrounded by poor defensive players in Utah, the Jazz were tops in defensive rating in 2017-18, second in 2018-19, and number three in 2016-17 and 2020-21. Rudy won the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy in each campaign, except in 2017.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh, the French Rejection was the best Wolves’ defensive player in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. Gobert’s defensive rating is 109.9, the best out of seven Wolves players who logged at least 75 minutes.
“Gobert might not be racking up a lot of blocks, but he is forcing a ton of business decisions like when Luka, Kyrie, and the Mavs offense just don't want to go at the rim when Gobert is out there,” said Haberstroh on a segment of The Big Number.
“With Gobert on the floor, the Dallas average two-point shot distance is 7 ft away from the basket. But when he sits, that same number falls to 5.4 ft, meaning the Mavericks are getting closer and closer to the rim with Gobert checks out. What's more, Dallas' field goal percentage at the rim soars from 68% when Gobert is in the game to 83% when he's off the court,” the analyst added.
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Shaq’s standard is unfair
Many think Shaq’s criticism came from a place of jealousy. The fact that Rudy, who has such a limited game, earns around $41 million annually must have irked the Big Diesel. For the Lakers legend, if you earn that freaking much, you better have the scoring averages to back it up.
“Shaq is one of the most dominant players to ever play the game. So Shaq is probably thinking... If Shaq is that size, he would be doing what he did and more. And everyone’s not Shaq. Shaq had the same issues with Dwight Howard… I just think Shaq is a hard critic when it comes to guys at his position,” opined Pat Bev.
Unfair criticism or not, Shaq is way off the mark, saying Gobert is the worst basketball player in history. He will never be a low post presence as O’Neal was, but as long as he’s protecting the rim at an elite level, the Stifle Tower will always be worth having on a roster.
Related: “The vitriol against this man, it baffles me” - NBA vet Eddie Johnson says he doesn’t understand the Rudy Gobert hate
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