SALT LAKE CITY — When Team LeBron and Team Giannis tip off in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, there will be at least one notable absence. Rudy Gobert, the Jazz’s 7-foot-1 center, will be watching from afar. He has made no secret of his disappointment. To him, not being selected was grand larceny.
It’s understandable he would feel thusly. He is tied for third in the league in blocks per game. The only reason he isn’t first is because opponents have stopped coming through his neighborhood. In one game this season he rejected seven shots. His 122 total blocks rank second in the league.