SALT LAKE CITY — Standing 7-foot-1, with a wingspan that looks like it could stretch across the Vivint Smart Home Arena hardwood from sideline to sideline, Rudy Gobert is an intimidating presence on the basketball court.
The 2017 NBA blocks leader and All-Defensive team center patrols the paint on a nightly basis like an animal stalking its prey. Quiet footsteps, until the timing is right. Then, he pounces and sends opponents’ shots into the Utah night with one fell swoop.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him Wednesday night, in both teams’ regular-season opener, is Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and although he doesn’t roam the painted area and instill fear in his opponents like Gobert on the defensive end of the floor, on offense is where Jokic eats. Gobert usually has his way with opposing bigs but Jokic’s rare skill-set – a near 7-footer who can pass and play like a point guard, but also shoot the three like a wing, could be Gobert’s kryptonite.
That’s at least what Nuggets coach Michael Malone hopes.
Denver matched up with Utah four times last season but only once after Jokic had re-emerged as Denver’s starting center. That night he started alongside Kenneth Faried, which let the Jazz guard the paint-tied Faried with Gobert and allowed their center to stay near the hoop. The Jazz stuck Derrick Favors on Jokic then, but now with Paul Millsap, who can play-make and stretch the floor from the four-spot besides Jokic, Malone believes the Serbian will be able to move Gobert out of the restricted area and toward the three-point line where he’s less effective.
“Hopefully, we can try to get Gobert outside the paint a little bit where he just can’t sit back and affect every shot at the rim,” Malone said as the Nuggets wrapped up shootaround Wednesday.
Utah has had one of the league’s best defenses the last few years. Gobert, combined with point guard Ricky Rubio, swingman Joe Ingles, Favors, and free-agent signing Thabo Sefolosha, should have the Jazz again among the league’s best at that end.
But how unique a big man Jokic is could give the Jazz some trouble.
“I think what was great about Nikola last year was as he played against the DeAndre Jordan‘s, Hassan Whiteside‘s, Rudy Gobert‘s he got really comfortable and figured out how to play against those guys,” Malone said. “Those guys want to stay in the paint. The great thing about Nikola Jokic is he has the ability to step out, shoot the three, make passes, and make plays.”
Although the Jazz played at the league’s slowest pace a year ago, Malone has seen a Utah team on film that likes to get out in transition more. A lot of that has to do with Rubio, how hard he pushes the ball in transition and his hit-ahead passes.
Denver will have their point guards push the pace as well and try to not give Gobert a chance to get back on defense, but how Jokic is able to stretch floor Wednesday night as both a shooter and playmaker will determine if the Nuggets start out their 2017-18 campaign with a victory.
