Since the Thunder's first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Jazz, not much has changed on the Jazz's side, which mean Rudy Gobert is still patrolling the paint.
Other than a trade for Kyle Korver two weeks ago, much of the team that beat the Thunder in six games in April remains for Utah. “Same principles, same personnel,” Thunder forward Paul George said Sunday. “It's going to be the same battle and same test for us.”
That means facing Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who anchors the paint defensively as well as any center in the league.