It’s the beginning. It’s a pre-statue. But yeah, it’s fun. It’s great. I appreciate it. – Rudy Gobert

SALT LAKE CITY — Rudy Gobert has been good for the Utah Jazz so far, but the All-NBA center is a year or 12 away from reaching a John Stockton and Karl Malone immortalized-in-bronze level of good.

With all due respect, it's a bit early to start sculpting a statue of the fifth-year big man for the arena plaza.

Gobert recently got the next best thing.

Because of the way The Stifle Tower protects the rim, slams in lob passes, tweets and interacts with fans and media, some call him the man.

You can also now call him the mannequin.

Or not.

But he now has one that looks remarkably similar to him.

Groan-worthy puns aside, Gobert was honored and excited that the Jazz commissioned a replica mannequin to be made to display in the spiffy new Utah Jazz Team Store in the renovated Vivint Arena.

“It’s the beginning. It’s a pre-statue,” a smiling Gobert told the Deseret News. “But yeah, it’s fun. It’s great. I appreciate it.”

Gobert, who can nearly touch the 10-foot-high rim without jumping, was in the Team Store on Monday afternoon for the grand opening and mannequin unveiling.

“Yeah, it’s really cool,” the 7-foot-1 Gobert said of the life-sized figure that soars above the merchandise in the middle of the store. “I think it’s fun for the fans to see me as I am, my real size.”

https://twitter.com/webb_linds/status/914940871782682627Gobert was fascinated by the mannequin-making process.

While in New York City for the 2017 NBA Awards show in June, the big center visited mannequin manufacturer Noa Brands' Seventh Avenue Goldsmith Inc. showroom to have his measurements taken for the project. Gobert’s body was scanned with a laser so 3D data could be used to create the most accurate mannequin possible.

“It was fun,” he said.

Gobert only agreed to play along under a certain condition.

“The main thing is,” he explained, “if you do that, it’s got to be good. I don’t want a mannequin that looks weird or doesn’t look like me.”

The similarity between the man who often blocks shots and the mannequin that is in a constant state of swatting a shot is uncanny.

Teammate Ricky Rubio teased that the mannequin he’s yet to see is “probably ugly” — and then added, “Just kidding, Rudy” — but the finished product has impressed Gobert and Jazz fans who’ve seen it in person.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Gobert said.

The details — from veins in his neck to his biceps and outstretched arm — are pretty intricate, too.

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The green and white pair of Gobert’s size 20 shoes in a see-through container at the base of the mannequin are also fun for fans to check out.

Gobert isn't the only one who's joked about him getting a statue — premature talk, sure, but still good for a smile.

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