The Utah Jazz suffered a major blow to their playoff hopes after center Rudy Gobert was injured 17 seconds into his first postseason game. Fortunately, Gobert’s injury is not as serious as first believed and there is a chance that the big man could return to his team during the first-round series.
If you ask Clippers point guard Raymond Felton, that might actually help the Clippers as they seek to regain home-court advantage:
Raymond Felton with a Rudy Gobert take Jazz fans will share. pic.twitter.com/3XM1xrHZ46
— Aaron Falk (@aaronfalk) April 18, 2017
That’s certainly a take and it somewhat mirrors what head coach Doc Rivers said following their game one loss in regards to defending the small-ball version of the Jazz.
It’s an interesting theory but Felton should be careful what he wishes for. Gobert is probably the best rim protector in the NBA, swatting away a league-leading 2.6 blocks per game this season.
The Clippers have taken advantage of Gobert’s absence with DeAndre Jordan having some huge performances. Gobert also adds a different offensive dynamic with his rolls to the rim, especially as a hobbled Derrick Favors and a veteran Boris Diaw can’t really provide that.
Yeah, I’m thinking the Clippers are better off not playing against Rudy Gobert.
