For this exercise let’s use the trade framework given to us by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer which involves: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and the 18th pick in the 2022 NBA draft being sent to Utah while the Jazz only send Gobert to Chicago.

DEFENSIVELY:

Gobert would immediately slot into the starting lineup as the new center for the 2023 Bulls. He would likely remain in the role of guarding the opposing team’s best center and primarily roaming inside the paint, protecting the rim.

It would be a similar role we have seen Gobert play before in Utah. Despite the Jazz defense having a down year due to defensive personnel, Gobert still authored a strong defensive season and is still the league’s best rim protector. When opponents drove into the paint and went at Gobert, their field goal percentage went down by -13.39%, AT THE RIM!

Gobert would be an instant upgrade on defense. Factoring in elite point-of-attack defenders such as Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, you have the recipe for one of the best defenses in the league.

In addition, Gobert is also a fantastic defensive rebounder. He is still the vacuum on the boards that people expect him to be and has continued his dominance there. He would provide an immediate upgrade on the Bull’s defensive rebounding stats, ranked 22nd in 2022.

Schematically, Gobert would likely continue to play in a drop coverage role since letting him contest and guard near the basket is what he excels at. While many fans on social media lambast Gobert for dropping so far back in pick and rolls, the fault does not solely lie with him. That is a product of the Jazz defensive scheme and on former head coach Quin Snyder for not moving him up closer to the screen. It is important to note that when you move him up to the level to contain, the other defenders need to be able to guard the ensuing 4v3 advantage the offense has, something the Jazz defenders were not prepared to do with their personnel.

In addition, Gobert has also made strides (albeit smaller ones) into becoming a better switch and more versatile defender. Asking any center to contain small quicker penetrative guards on the perimeter is always difficult but Gobert has great recovery length and can somewhat contain switches.

Finally, should he be switched and forced into a weak side help defender role, I feel comfortable in him playing there as well. While there is less film on this because of the Jazz playing drop coverage most of the time, his length can allow him to rotate over and contest any shot near the rim.

Adding Gobert to this current Bulls team would 100% improve our overall defensive rankings and rebounding stats. Still, defense is still only one side of the game, so how would a potential offense involving the Bulls and Rudy Gobert look?

OFFENSIVELY:

While Gobert is an incredible defensive player, his offense is not at that level. Still, some of his best traits on offense would help the Bulls.

First, he is an excellent screener in pick-and-roll scenarios. The word, “Screen assists” has been thrown out a lot in Utah but it is real. Gobert is an excellent screener when he makes contact and his large frame makes him difficult to navigate around. Further, he is also a downhill lob threat and would provide a new dimension for this offense. The Bulls do not have a lob threat outside of Zach Lavine and leaving someone in the dunker’s spot providing a verticality threat would add a new wrinkle to Billy Donovan’s offense.

It is important to note that the Bull’s only reliable lob thrower is Ball. He is a great passer but is not someone who can force help and open up that lob by himself. The two players that can bend defenses are Lavine and Demar DeRozan but their ability to throw that lob isn’t a strong part of their passing repertoire. While it may open up something new for this offense, the personnel we have to execute this new wrinkle is far from adequate.

In addition, Gobert is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league and would aid in the Bull’s 29th ranked offensive rebounding. While this is partially because of Donovan choosing to prioritize transition defense instead of hunting the offensive rebound, Gobert would still help in this department.

While his strengths would help the Bulls, there are holes in his offensive game that would also hinder this offense.

Primary is Gobert’s inability to beat switches. He is not a post-up threat on switches and can only take advantage of the mismatch when he has deep seals. The film of this is not pretty from their most recent playoff series loss against Dallas. Concurrently, it is also a problem that has stretched back for years as well, with the Clippers electing to soft switch and making him a non-threat on offense in their series against the Jazz in 2021.

Unless he makes a remarkable improvement, this problem would likely remain a way to target Gobert and the Bull’s offense to slow them down in the playoffs.

Another issue in Gobert’s offensive game is his short roll playmaking and it’s been a problem for some time. He made marginal improvements in this category this season and this issue will invite teams to play aggressive defensive coverages knowing that we don’t have the personnel to beat it.

The ability to make the correct decision on short rolls is a major factor in the playoffs. Despite playing different roles for their respective teams, players such as Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green and Vucevic can all affect the game with their short roll playmaking. If you play aggressive defensive coverage against any three of these aforementioned players, then you’re giving up a 4v3 situation to a player that can always make the correct play. It completely takes off blitzing, soft hedging, hard hedging and being at the level in pick and roll defense. It may seem small but in the modern NBA’s ball screen-centric game, it’s a massive problem.

Finally is how Gobert’s offense looks with worse spacing.

It’s quite clear that Gobert does not space the floor. He only attempted four shots from behind the arc and missed all four. The bigger worry is that Gobert has always played in a spaced-out environment in Utah, constantly seeing the floor with average to great shooters.

Should he be traded to Chicago, he would not have that luxury. In my opinion, the Bulls have two great shooters. Outside of Ball and Lavine, none of the other Bulls are elite floor spacers and are inconsistent at best. How would Gobert adapt to finding more pressure around the rim with the opposing team helping off bad shooters such as DeRozan or Javonte Green? It’s a hypothetical question but with Gobert’s lack of individual shot creation and poor passing stats, it could be a major thorn in his already limited offensive production.

In all, Gobert would certainly help this team in some aspects, that much is clear. While the positives may outweigh the negatives, the negatives are major red areas that could slow down the Bulls. This also doesn’t mention the cap situation. Is it worth losing cap flexibility and a young piece like Williams for a 30-year-old Gobert and the remaining four years of his supermax contract? There’s no right answer, only our thoughts at this time but what the Bulls do in the 2022 offseason will certainly be something to watch.

Special thanks to: bball-index.com for stats and every other linked tweet or article.*

*NOTE: Not all clips are reflective of every given possession but provide a summary of his strengths and weaknesses on the court.

The post How would Rudy Gobert fit on the Bulls? appeared first on Bulls Don't Lie.