Fact Check: Is Draymond Green’s Viral Claim About Rudy Gobert’s Record vs Nikola Jokic & Chris Paul, True?

It is a rare occurrence for an athlete to be a part of a league like the NBA and not form a feud with either one or a few of his rival players. One of the most publicly known feuds amongst the modern generation of basketball players is the one shared between Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. Green has seldom let go of an opportunity to reportedly undervalue the player’s overall stats and contribution to his team. With the Timberwolves currently in the midst of a Semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets, he once again took it upon himself to take a hit at his rival.

The recent episode of ‘NBA on TNT’ featured Draymond Green joining in as guest host. During the same, a segment highlighted Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s stats from the recent game. His on-court performance during Game 5 allowed him to become the second NBA player, right behind Chris Paul, to score 40 points and 10 assists, with zero turnovers, in a playoff game. No sooner had the information been revealed when the Warriors star highlighted a fact that was actually layering up a roast.

“There’s an interesting thing about this stat, though,” said Green. “You know what’s interesting about it? When Chris Paul had those numbers, there was a common denominator. It was the Rudy Gobert-led Jazz.” By this remark, Green criticized Gobert’s defensive capabilities and claimed that both Nikola Jokic and Chris Paul’s record setting performances came when they faced him.

Green’s co-hosts, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, did not choose to pass the blame on Gobert. Shaquille O’Neal, however, showed his support for Green’s opinion and even proceeded to jokingly state “He probably won Defensive Player that year too”.

Draymond Green’s claim had some truth to it, as Chris Paul did establish his ‘40 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers’ when facing off against Rudy Gobert. At that time, Paul was associated with the Houston Rockets, while Gobert was with the Utah Jazz. The 41 points established by Paul was reached thanks to his 13-22 field goals, 8-10 three pointers and 7-8 free throws. While Gobert was not the primary defender of the lead scorer, he did have several opportunities during the course of the matchup to disrupt the player’s momentum. From continuously shooting three pointers over Gobert’s head to making passes from under the player’s feet, Chris Paul was putting his rival to shame.

Fortunately for Gobert, there weren’t many instances of his poor defence back in 2018. As Shaq guessed, he did end up winning the Defensive Player of the Year award that year. The first of four. However, after Nikola Jokic’s remarkable performance, Draymond Green found another opportunity to criticize his long-time rival, and made full use of it.

On the other hand, there were others who defended Gobert’s performance.

JJ Redick defends Rudy Gobert’s performance in Game 5: “It’s Fuc***g Basketball”

Not every individual who watched Game 5 of the Nuggets-Timberwolves clash would have been reminded of Rudy Gobert going up against Chris Paul over 6 years ago. However, many of them were unanimous in their opinion that the four-time Defensive Player of the Year recipient could have performed better. From Gilbert Arenas and Skip Bayless to dozens of fans, the world of basketball criticized the player’s poor defense. Amid all this negativity, however, the Timberwolves star found a voice of support in former Orland Magic player JJ Redick.

In the aftermath of the matchup, Redick and his co-host, former New Jersey Nets player Richard Jefferson, released another episode of ‘The Old Man & The Three’ podcast. Here, he took a jab at all the people who went out of their way to call out Rudy Gobert. While praising the overall performance of Nikola Jokic, the podcaster stated that the Nuggets ensured that they separated Gobert from their star player.

“Denver had to figure out a way to get Gobert away from the basket,” Redick said. “That’s the challenge against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was the challenge against the Utah Jazz. It’s NOT an indictment on Rudy Gobert. It’s fuc***g basketball”.

Jefferson agreed with his co-host’s opinion, stating that even if the top 5 defensive players in the NBA were lined up, Jokic would still get the best of them. Therefore, Gobert shouldn’t receive this much hate.

Amidst all this, the Denver Nuggets need just one more win to proceed to the Conference Finals. Therefore, the upcoming Game 6 may be the last chance for Rudy Gobert to prove his effectiveness this season. The last chance to show everyone that he has earned every accolade that has come his way.