When it comes time to cast the votes for the three All-NBA teams this season, those responsible for picking the squads may have a conundrum on their hands. There are plenty of deserving members at the guard and forward spots (seriously, SportVU's player tracking data, the Stifle Tower allows opponents to shoot only 39.7% at the rim (an area where the league as a whole averages 54.9%). He does this while facing 8.3 shots per game in his 26.2 minutes played. Of the 145 players that face a minimum of 3.5 shots near the rim per game, Gobert easily has the lowest percentage allowed and is the only player to crack the sub-40% mark.
What kind of impact does that have on his team? Well, the Jazz have a Defensive Rating of 106.4 points allowed per 100 possessions when he's off the court and a stifling 98.4 when he's on it, for a difference of 8.0 points allowed per 100 possessions. That is flat out ridiculous.
For further proof of his impact, look at the difference between the pre- and post-trade deadline Jazz, before and after going with Gobert as their starting center.
| Record | Win % | Def Rtg | NBA Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre All-Star Break | 19-34 | .358 | 106.1 | 27th |
| Post All-Star Break | 17-9 | .654 | 93.8 | 1st |
That's not a small, negligible difference. That is far from a coincidence. That is official proof of a "Gobert Effect" if there ever was one.
And there are plenty of bonus statistics that make a strong case for Gobert's All-NBA worthiness as well.
| Average | NBA Rank | Center Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block Percentage | 7.0 | 1st | 1st |
| Offensive Rating | 123.2 | 6th | 3rd |
| Defensive Rating | 98.0 | 5th | 2nd |
| Player Efficiency Rating | 21.7 | 16th | 4th |
| Defensive Win Shares | 4.1 | 10th | 4th |
| Win Shares | 9.0 | 15th | 4th |
| Win Shares per 48 Minutes | .210 | 8th | 2nd |
| Box Plus/Minus | 5.8 | 8th | 1st |
| Defensive Box Plus/Minus | 5.0 | 2nd | 2nd |
| Value Over Replacement Player | 4.1 | 11th | 2nd |
| nERD | 9.7 | 11th | 3rd |
Placing in the top-four among centers in each and every one of those advanced statistical categories is no small feat (he's the only one to do it, for what it's worth). He's even a top-three center in everything on the list outside of PER and the cumulative categories of Win Shares and Defensive Win Shares (where the lower minute total becomes a disadvantage; although he still overcomes that and places incredibly high). He's also the only player, center or otherwise, to place in the top-six in the whole NBA in both Offensive and Defensive Rating. It's growing harder not to call him a top-three center now, isn't it?
Look, the three All-NBA centers this year will probably be some combination of All-Stars Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, and Al Horford (with DeAndre Jordan and Nikola Vucevic as dark-horse contenders). It's just important to realize that the only thing truly hampering Gobert's undoubted inclusion among the elite this season is the existence of Enes Kanter and the fact that he spent the first half of the season with the Jazz.
If Gobert doesn't manage to make one of the All-NBA teams this season, though, look out; if the strides he's made on both ends this season carry over into the next one and beyond and if his defensive impact continues to reach untouchable levels, then he's likely to become a fixture on these All-NBA squads for years to come.