The air in the gym wasn’t moving, but Rudy Gobert was.
It was July in Gobert’s hometown of Saint-Quentin, France, and Gobert was spending an afternoon lifting weights with Jazz strength and conditioning coach Isaiah Wright and running drills with assistant coach Alex Jensen.
“I think he’s just barely starting to hit where he can take off from,” Wright said. “We’re just barely scratching the surface on Rudy Gobert.”
Eight months later, Gobert credits the work he did this summer with the success he’s having this season. On Monday night, Gobert notched his 62nd points-rebound double-double of the campaign—tying Hall of Fame big man Karl Malone for the most by a Jazz player in a single season.