Russell Westbrook Unimpressed By Rudy Gobert: 'He Ain't No Different'

Rudy Gobert is no ordinary center. Utah's 7'1" behemoth is arguably the most impactful defensive big man in the NBA, entering 2019-20 with two Defensive Player of the Year awards and three appearances on the All-Defense team. Russell Westbrook was unimpressed with the hardware on Sunday. 

Westbrook discussed going up against Gobert after the Rockets' 114-113 loss at the Toyota Center, and Houston's point guard wasn't quite ready to shower Gobert with praise. Gobert may be a mountain of a man, but to Westbrook, the French Rejection, "ain't no different."

"I went right through his chest, put that shit in the basket. Same as everybody else," Westbrook told the media at the Toyota Center postgame. "He ain't no different, just happened to be a little taller."

Westbrook's dismissal of Gobert isn't unfair. The 2016-17 MVP led all scorers with 39 points on Sunday, and he made 14 of his 18 field goals in the lane. One basket in particular brought the Houston crowd to its feet, as Westbrook uncorked a mammoth dunk as Gobert shied away from the rim. 

In all fairness to Gobert, it's been hard for any big man to slow down Westbrook of late. The UCLA product is averaging 32.9 points and 7.6 assists per game since the calendar turned to 2020, shooting 52.1% from the field in his last 14  appearances. 

Gobert got the last laugh on Sunday as Bojan Bogdanovic bailed the Jazz out with a buzzer-beater three to beat Houston. The Rockets fell to 33–20 in 2019-20 with the defeat, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. Houston trails Utah by 1.5 games for home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

The Rockets will face the Celtics on Tuesday in their final game before the All-Star break. Tip-off from the Toyota Center in Houston is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT.