SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t know that Rudy Gobert has yet to make an All-Star team.
I asked Kerr if it seemed strange to him that a two-time Defensive Player of the Year has been left off the All-Star team, and he was surprised to learn that was the case.
“He has not made it yet?” he asked. “That’s surprising to me.”
The first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award was given to Sidney Moncrief for the 1982-83 season and has be awarded to 21 players total since it became an annual honor. Gobert is the only player to have won the awards multiple times and not been on at least one All-Star team.
This could be the year that Gobert makes his All-Star debut, according to multiple NBA players, coaches, executives and media members.
The All-Star starters are chosen by way of a weighted vote between fans, select media members and player votes. Gobert was not chosen as a 2019-20 starter.
NBA coaches choose the All-Star reserves. Each coach fills out a ballot of seven players from each conference (two guards, three frontcourt players and two wildcards) and the top vote-getters round out the teams.
Each coach has their own set of criteria when making their All-Star selections.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of his own criteria. “You try to weigh the obvious statistical measures that give you a general perception and if you dig a little deeper and look at someone like Rudy, who may not be averaging as many points as someone else but the points that he impacts for the team, and that shows itself in a lot of ways.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens recently told reporters that his criteria is statistics, winning and a fear factor.
Snyder pointed to advanced metrics that show a more well-rounded picture of the impact a player has, and he even noted that such metrics are not difficult to find. Then, Snyder added that winning plays a role in the players that he chooses.
With that in mind, there’s a little bit of hypocrisy in what the NBA expects leading up to the All-Star break.
“I reward teams that have won, players that are playing on winning teams. I think this year (Rudy Gobert will) have a better chance based on their success. ... He’s absolutely one of those guys who is right there every year.” — Golden State coach Steve Kerr
Coaches and players are all hoping to be playing their best basketball by the end of the season, with the early part of the year being used to grow and improve. This is especially true for teams that are introducing new players from off-season acquisitions and even as late at the February trade deadline.
But the NBA hosts All-Star weekend in February, honoring the standout players from the early months of the season.
For teams that get off to a slow start or have any amount of growing pains, that could mean players missing out on All-Star bids, and the Utah Jazz fit the bill of a team that has had slow starts in seasons past.
This season, the Jazz’s slow start didn’t last as long and as All-Star weekend has grown nearer, voters have seen a flurry of Jazz wins with the team going 18-2 in their last 20 games.
“I reward teams that have won, players that are playing on winning teams,” Kerr said. “I think this year (Gobert will) have a better chance based on their success. ... He’s absolutely one of those guys who is right there every year.”
While making the NBA All-Star team might not seem like that big of a deal for some, it clearly means a lot to others. Gobert famously became emotional last year after he was left off the All-Star team. Later that year was when he was named Defensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.
One Western Conference front office executive said that he thinks that coaches are more likely to put Gobert on their ballots this season, not only because of the Jazz winning but also because there is a slight embarrassment factor.
“I don’t think there are many that want to be responsible for a potential three-time defensive player of the year being left off,” he said. “It already looks bad having him miss twice now.”
Obviously Gobert’s teammates are advocating for him to make the All-Star team with Donovan Mitchell, a potential All-Star himself, leading the charge. But even those who have not played with Gobert for long think that the Utah Jazz center is long overdue for the mid-season honor.
“It’s crazy because he does such a good job on both ends,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He should be an All-Star this year. That’s just plain and simple.”
NBA coaches selections for All-Star reserves will be announced on Jan. 30, and from the sound of it, there is a good chance that Gobert will be making his All-Star debut this year.