Rudy Gobert has decided to compete for France this summer in the European championships instead of participating in the summer league, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. He also hopes to improve his mid-range jumper and lower-body strength over the offseason.

Gobert has decided to compete for France this summer in the European championships instead of participating in the summer league, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. He also hopes to improve his mid-range jumper and lower-body strength over the offseason.

Analysis:

Gobert entered his sophomore season as a limited bench player but ended it as a candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards as Utah's starting center. This shift was enabled by the mid-season departure of Enes Kanter, ultimately allowing Gobert to start in 37 games under coach Quin Snyder. The 22-year-old will head into next season as the clear favorite to start alongside Derrick Favors in the frontcourt as the two combine to be one of the most menacing defensive backbones in the NBA. As an elite rebounder and blocker, combined with his efficiency from the field, Gobert could certainly be taken within the first few rounds this coming preseason in standard leagues despite his poor free-throw shooting abilities (62.3 percent).