NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Taj Gibson
By Tom West
Northwest Division. Western Conference. Utah Jazz. 3. player. 118.
The Jazz can be a defensive force with Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint at center. He doesn’t just swat shots, he deters countless drives that come into the lane and he constantly makes players wary to attack. Except for the athletic types who are explosive enough to put him on a poster, he’s easily one of the top two or three interior defenders in the NBA.
However, without Gobert, the Jazz’s defense is a totally different story.
And to add some emphasis to their reliance on Gobert, they went just 7-11 when he was injured through December with a strained MCL. In the first month of the season, the Jazz ranked a respectable 11th in the NBA for defensive efficiency. Yet, during the 18-game period without Gobert, they ranked just 23rd.
This team has potential to achieve far more than a .500 record, but they need more than Gobert to anchor their defense. Which is why they should pursue Taj Gibson.
He obviously won’t make the starting lineup over Derrick Favors, but Gibson could certainly land himself more minutes off the bench than the likes of Jeff Withey, Trey Lyles and Trevor Booker. Gibson is one of the most explosive and tough defensive enforcers you could hope to have on your bench, and the Jazz need that extra impact to help when Gobert has to leave the game.
The only problem for Utah is finding the correct wing player to offer the Bulls. With guys like Alec Burks, Rodney Hood and obviously Gordon Hayward, they have some talent. None of these three players are easy to let go of, though, and Hayward is out of the question for this potential deal.
Gibson has serious value to the Jazz, but it’s hard seeing them as one of the most likely landing spots in comparison to the rest of these teams when considering who they might be willing to offer.
Next: 2. Phoenix Suns