He hasn't garnered the same level of recognition as Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Rudy Gobert has quietly been one of the league's most improved players this season.
The Utah Jazz center erupted for the best game of his young career Friday night, scoring a career-high 27 points to go along with a career-best 25 rebounds in the team's 112-107 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
After being used sparingly on offense through the first three years of his career, Gobert's scoring has taken a significant leap in 2016-17, averaging a career-high 12.4 points, while shooting 66.2 percent from the floor. The 24-year-old has even seen improvements in his free-throw shooting, hitting a career-best 65.6 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.
While his offense has been solid, Gobert's bread and butter remains on the other side of the floor, where he's likely the favorite to take home Defensive Player of the Year honors.
With many of Utah's players moving in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis, Gobert has been the one constant for the Jazz this season, and is arguably the main reason why they sit near the top of a stacked Western Conference with a 28-16 record.
