Rudy Gobert breaks down ‘very talented' Kings bigs Marvin Bagley, Harry Giles

Share

SACRAMENTO -- As Harry Giles prepared for his first game, he was asked a simple question. His answer was honest and spoke to the naivety of the 20-year-old big. 

“The crowd is going to be different tomorrow, it will definitely add some nerves, but they’re our size, so there’s no reason to be scared, right?” Giles said with a smile.

Yes, most NBA players are big, or at least bigger than your average human being. But the Utah Jazz have a 7-foot-1, monster named Rudy Gobert that trolls the lane looking to swat balls into the cheap seats.

The 26-year-old came into his own over the last three seasons in Utah, developing from a sampling to a full-grown tree with a lot of hard work and effort. 

[RELATED: Bagley staying patient]

Following shoot-around on Wednesday, the Frenchman sat courtside and fielded questions to give his unique perspective on the Kings rookie duo of Giles and Marvin Bagley and what their futures may hold.

“Those guys already have bodies that are stronger than, obviously me, when at their age,” Gobert said. “Everyone is different, it’s most important to learn how to know your body just work.”

Gobert visited Sacramento in pre-draft before the 2013 NBA Draft. He was rail thin and all legs. He doesn’t even look like the same player, but that’s what five years of NBA basketball and five summers of can do for a player.

The Jazz selected Gobert with the 27th overall pick, a move that looks brilliant at this point, but nothing more than a gamble that initially looked like a mistake.

“I think they’re very talented, I don’t like to judge players too early, I think if people would have done that with me, they’d probably say I was going to suck,” the star defender said. “It’s all about them. How they develop, how they learn the game, how smart they are. I don’t know them like that. It’s a process, some guys figure it out quick, some guys take a longer time. Some guys just never figure it out. It just depends, they both are talented, for sure.”

[RELATED: Can Giles be better than Webber?]

Both Giles and Bagley are physically gifted, but it takes more than that to succeed in the league. They’ll have their struggles, like the home opener where they played a combined 21 minutes off coach Dave Joerger’s bench. 

The key is to learn and grow, both mentally and physically. Giles has a slight advantage over Bagley in physical development. He spent last season working with the Kings’ training staff and even spent time on the court competing against veterans like Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufos. 

Despite the year of work, Giles, 20, looks small standing next to Gobert. It’s the difference between a mature adult body and a player that played a high school game two years ago. 

Bagley is even younger, coming in at just 19-year-old. He skipped his senior year in high school to go to Duke last season. He could be a freshman in college and instead, he is a professional basketball player.

Giles and Bagley have the size and the athleticism to compete, but Gobert thinks there is another factor that is even more important. 

“The NBA is a physical game, there is the skill aspect of the game, but physical aspect is the most important,” Gobert told NBC Sports California. “You can be skilled, but if you can’t handle contact, all those skills that you do don’t matter. So the body for me is the most important.”

It didn’t happen overnight for Gobert and it won’t for the Kings’ young duo. If there was any advice the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has for Sacramento’s young bigs, it is to not lose sight of the ultimate goal.

“The most important thing is that you really play to win,” Gobert said. “When you start playing just to play or just to show what you can do, but if you don’t play to win is when things get ugly.”

The Kings are hoping they have a pair of bigs that can help the team long term. It will take time, but the potential is there if they put in the work.

Contact Us