Rudy Gobert: The New Face of the Jazz

With Hayward out of Salt Lake for good, Rudy Gobert finds himself as the new face of the Jazz. He may not be the star player Jazz fans wanted, but he is the one they need.

Gordon Hayward is out of Salt Lake and on to 'greener' pastures in Boston. The move left Jazz fans feeling angry and betrayed by the fact that their beloved star would abandon them right when the team seemed to be hitting their stride and made the playoffs after several years of being in the lottery.

Fans in Utah quickly began looking at other options to fill the void left by Hayward. Names such as Otto Porter, Rudy Gay and Tyreke Evans began to surface as possible replacements for the former Jazz Star. However the solution to the problem the Jazz face is an obvious one. It’s a seven foot, French center by the name of Rudy Gobert.

Gobert may not be the star player that Jazz fans wanted but the one they need.

If you were to ask any die hard jazz fan who the star of the Utah Jazz has been the past few seasons the answer will most certainly be Gordon Hayward. The real answer? Gobert. And it shouldn’t be close.

Gobert has been the anchor of a Jazz defense that was at the top of the NBA over the past two years and was nominated for Defensive Player of the Year as well as Most Improved Player following the 2017 season. Yes, Gordon Hayward was an All Star this year but Gobert should have been right there with him. (DeAndre Jordan had to cancel a Hawaii vacation because even he never thought he’d make the All Star team over Gobert.)

Not only is Rudy a defensive powerhouse but he is quickly becoming an unstoppable force on the offensive end. Rudy averaged a career high 14 points per game while shooting the second highest percentage from the field among qualified players.

The argument could easily be made that Rudy Gobert meant much more to the Jazz than Hayward did. When Gobert went down in Game One of the Western Conference Playoffs first round the Jazz looked lost. Defensively they struggled to contain Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. And offensively the pick and roll was obsolete. In fact the Utah Jazz were win-less when Gobert missed a start during the regular season. But when Hayward was out due to illness the Jazz were able to stay on their feet, with players such as Ingles, Johnson and Hood able to fill the void left by Hayward's absence.

But now Hayward is gone for good and he wont be putting on a Jazz jersey any time soon. So as the Jazz look for a ‘Face of the Franchise’ they shouldn’t overlook their French center. Rudy is the Star the Jazz need in this day and age of Basketball.

Rudy is the perfect Face of the Jazz for multiple reasons.

The first is because he is international. Basketball popularity is growing rapidly around the world. China is gobbling up basketball year after year, so much so that the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball league travelled to the US to face off against the Houston Rockets in a preseason exhibition game just this past year. Meanwhile Europe is producing some of the NBA’s newest stars. Gobert is a perfect player to have as the face of your team at a time when the NBA is on a global stage. Perhaps the best player on the French National team, Rudy allows for the Jazz to not only have a presence in the NBA and in Utah but allows for them to grow in popularity in France and around the world.

The second reason Gobert is the perfect ‘Face of the Jazz’ is because he has the demeanor needed in today’s NBA. Lets face it, the notion that nice guys finish last is perhaps more true in basketball than anywhere else. Fundamental plays and simple lay ups all while having a slight grin doesn't attract the fans. People come to see rim rattling dunks followed by a ‘mean mug’ by the player while flexing all the way down the court. They want to see a player cross-over and pull up for three, and when it goes in? They want to see that same player hold up three fingers to the sky and blow on them like he’s blowing smoke off of a gun. The fans want excitement and showmanship. Hayward wasn’t either of those.

Hayward was the type of player who would dribble drive and pull up for an occasional three. You hardly ever saw him dunk over his opponent or celebrate a great play other than high-fiving a teammate. Who would you rather go to a game to see? Giannis Antetokounmpo (The Greek Freak) or Paul Millsap? The former is a lengthy wing who can go from the three point line to the basket in two steps and can hammer home a dunk so vicious it’s featured on SportsCenter for a week while he follows it up with a gut wrenching stare down and flexes for the crowd as he runs down the court. The latter is an undersized power forward that, while not flashy, does what it takes to win games. Most NBA fans would MUCH rather pay to see the Greek Freak even though it’s Millsap who is the Four-time All Star.

There’s a reason that despite being one of the best players of all time Tim Duncan ranked 11th in jersey sales in 2015. Duncan, despite all his success, was not an exciting player to watch. He had no swagger about him. Meanwhile just ahead of him on the list of best selling jerseys? Derrick Rose, who only played in 51 games. The difference? Rose is flashy. He dunks on people, he finishes layups that almost seem impossible and he can drop people to the ground with his cross over. It doesn’t matter that he’s constantly injured. He’s exciting.

So as a Jazz fan who would you rather have as the face of your franchise? The scrawny kid from Indiana who’s most exciting play in a game is typically an average fastbreak dunk or a mid-range jump shot. Or would you rather have the 7 foot Frenchman who sends Lebron’s shot sailing into the stands and dunks over opposing centers while barely having to leave his feet and follows up each sequence with a salute to the crowd. When it comes down to it, Rudy is simply more exciting to watch than Gordon Hayward. And in today’s NBA excitement sells.

The final reason as to why Rudy Gobert is the perfect face of the Jazz is the fact that he’s a fan favorite. Not only was Gordon Hayward boring on the court but he was even more boring off of it. Think of who some of the most exciting players in the NBA are. The names that come to mind are players like Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Not only are these players exciting on the court but they are fun and interesting off of it. When Lebron isn’t throwing down vicious fast break dunks, he’s rapping on Instagram live and making fun of Draymond Green in the comments section. When Durant isn’t winning Finals MVP, he’s talking trash to opposing fans over twitter. And following a 50 point game, Curry can be found at the podium doing interviews while his kids climb on the table and steal away the microphone as well as the attention. But when Hayward wasn’t shooting mid-range jump shots he was sitting in his living room playing video games. In fact the most exciting thing that has ever happened with Gordon Hayward off the court was when he was spotted shopping at Jos. A. Bank in Boston following his free agency decision.

This isn’t the 1980’s anymore. Fans love to see their favorite players out and about. This is the Kardashian day and age. We want to see where our favorite athletes are eating or where they happen to be vacationing during the off season. And even more than that we like to hear our favorite player’s opinion on what is going on around the world. Joel Embiid has played 30 games in three years yet we love it when he tries to hit on Rhianna over twitter or when he cusses out Lavar Ball on Instagram. So to have your star player be a guy who rarely tweets anything other than a Thank You to fans after a big game and can never be seen out in public unless it’s at Zupas or GameStop isn’t a good look. But when Rudy Gobert is on social media starting emoji wars with opposing players on twitter or posting a video that is clearly taking a shot at Gordon Hayward following Hayward’s decision to sign with Boston it makes the French Center relatable and likable.

Gordon Hayward is a tremendous player and undoubtedly one of the best players to ever represent the Jazz, but it’s time to forget about the Panini eating, World of Warcraft playing and Mid-Range Jump shot shooting player. And maybe next time Rudy sends John Wall’s shot sailing into the stands, fans at Vivint Smart Home Arena can emphatically salute the Jazz center like he does to them, because it's Rudy who's the new face of the Utah Jazz.