Rudy Gobert came out with a vengeance in Utah's season opener on Wednesday night against Oklahoma City, amassing a double-double midway through the second quarter.
He finished the game with 16 points and 21 rebounds. His work on the glass broke Utah's franchise record for most rebounds in a season opener, surpassing Carlos Boozer's 19-rebound performance on Nov. 1, 2006.
For Gobert and the Jazz, what happened on the court against the Thunder wasn’t just a long time coming, it was a message sent to the rest of the league.
When Utah's season came to an end last year in the second round of the playoffs, the defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers raised a lot of eyebrows in the NBA world.