People can pretend all they want we were bidding against ourselves, and thus the “overpay”, but there’s clearly been a cultural shift on defense and its Rudy’s influence. And that’s worth a lot, too.
Yeah, I thought the wolves over paid for him, and objectively/historically they really did. But the culture that he brings is something that can’t be measured in assets or salary. I hope we keep this man in a wolves uniform because I’ve wanted this since KG’s prime.
Media is always gonna undervalue Gobert tbh, and thankfully it doesn’t matter. Coaches see it, players see it, that’s the whole point.
I get the feeling a certain amount of players in the league don’t see it, which is weird. You’d think that all players that have got to the point of being in the NBA would realize how impactful he is, but even among the player base there is a bias towards having an offensive bag over the nuances of good defense.
There probably are a few exceptions, but I think some people like Draymond just don’t like his game. But the impact Rudy has under the rim in terms of opponent inside attempts/percentage tells me players fear going up against him for the most part. Either way, coaches see it and tell their players during games, it’s hard to avoid if you’re on the actual floor. They might still undervalue it in a sense, but they can’t help acknowledging his impact.
Draymond is insecure but I think he knows. Deep inside, he doesn’t was to say it, but Gobert has always been a much better player than him.