Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert shied away from any shots that weren't right around the basket in 2014-15, with the 22-year-old Frenchman missing all 10 of his attempts from 10 feet and beyond over the course of the year.
Steadfast on improving his one-dimensional offensive attack, Gobert will reportedly work with Holger Geschwindner this summer - Dirk Nowitzki's esteemed shooting coach - to add some range to his game.
From the Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron Falk:
And, already one of the league's most feared rim protectors, Gobert hopes to put a little more fear into opposing defenses next year. The center intends to improve his post game and add some mid-range shooting to his repertoire. He says he's hitting consistently from about 15-feet right now, and he plans to spend 10 days in Germany with Dirk Nowitzki's shooting coach later this summer to help fine tune his form.
Becoming a more well-rounded scorer is the next logical step in Gobert turning into an elite NBA big - he ranked 27th among centers in points per game at 8.4.
"I'm more confident," Gobert said of his offensive game to Falk. "Really in the first season and early last season, I wasn't really trying anything offensively. Now I can really work on my game and try to show it on the floor."
Gobert won't start hitting 15-foot jumpers with ease right out of the gate, although making anything from that far out would be a proper upgrade from not nailing anything at all.
Defense isn't his issue. Despite not being named to an All-Defensive team, "The Stifle Tower" still garnered a reputation for being a menace on that end of the floor, holding opponents to a league-low 40.4 percent shooting at the rim. He was also one of 10 players to finish the season with a defensive rating under 100, according to Basketball Reference.
Perhaps some sessions with Geschwindner will bring Gobert's offense up to par with where the youngster is at defensively.