By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert has been named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week for the games played through March 11-17. This is the first Player of the Week honor for Gobert in his career.
The 26-year-old center averaged 16.5 points on 69.4% shooting along with 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game leading the Utah Jazz to three wins in four games.
Rudy Gobert sat at his locker on Saturday night, a trash can at his feet. It wasn’t until that moment that the 7-footer showed any sign of how sick he’d been feeling.
“I was kind of feeling that way the whole day,” Gobert admitted and laughed to himself. “I tried to play the game. After the game, when I sat at my chair, I had to let everything out.”
Gobert’s willingness to fight through illness would have been impressive enough. Then consider the fact that he scored 23 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked three shots in a 114-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. But that’s how dominant Gobert has been on the court of late.
For his efforts, Gobert on Monday was named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week. It is the first time in Gobert’s career that he has received the honor from the NBA.
Gobert averaged 16.5 points (on 69.4 percent shooting), 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last week, helping the Jazz to a 3-1 record in that time.
“He sets the tone for everybody,” Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio said of his center. “We know that he is a great defender. Sometimes we rely too much on him. He does a really good job on that.”
Gobert shares Player of the Week honors with Washington’s Bradley Beal in the East. Gobert joins Donovan Mitchell in earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors this season. Mitchell earned the honors for the weeks of January 7-13 and February 25-March 3.