Recently, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert appeared on The Young Man and The Three podcast with Tommy Alter. During this interview, Gobert opened up about some of the players who helped shape his game when he was younger. One of the players Gobert mentioned was Joakim Noah.
"I remember watching a lot of Joakim Noah, Gobert said when asked if there was someone early in his career who he would watch to pick up different things from. Even before I was in the league, I was watching his high rebound games, like how does he get 25 rebounds? I would try to watch it and understand it."
Gobert also listed Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, Amre Stoudamire, and Tim Duncan as players he would watch to emulate his game around. However, Noah was the first name he listed. There are certainly some similarities between Gobert's and Noah's games. However, their playstyles are also a bit different, which is what makes Gobert watching Noah so interesting.
The similarities and differences between Gobert and Noah
As elite defenders and hard-nosed rebounders, there's a clear connection between these two big men. Given that Gobert specifically mentioned Noah's rebounding, it's fair to believe he learned a few things from watching Noah.
Notably, Gobert has averaged 11.7 rebounds for his career, while Noah averaged 9 rebounds for his career. Both players stand out as elite rim protectors. Of course, Gobert has won four Defensive Player of the Year awards. Noah won DPOY in the 2013-14 season and made three All-Defensive teams. Noah anchored some elite defenses with the Chicago Bulls.
Both centers also have exceptionally high basketball IQs. Perhaps watching Noah helped Gobert develop this aspect of his game.
Despite the similarities between the two players, they are also different in some ways. With Gobert being a more traditional drop coverage big man on defense, and a classic lob threat and screener offensively. Conversely, Noah had some more versatility on both ends of the court. The Florida product switched onto smaller players more often, and he was one of the better passing centers in his prime.
That doesn't make Noah a better player, of course. Gobert is a historically great rim protector. Noah only matched Gobert's career average of 2.1 blocks per game once in his career. Furthermore, Noah didn't deter the opposing offense's strategy in the same way. The point is they are both great centers, yet ones with different styles.
Given this, it is somewhat surprising that Noah was one of the main players Gobert watched film on. From that same era, Tyson Chandler closely resembles Gobert's playstyle. However, the beauty of watching film is that you can learn things from a wide range of players.