3) Rudy Gobert – France
A second-generation basketball player whose father also played for France in the 1980s, the 24-year-old will be easy to spot on the court. The center is 7’1” and has been with the Utah Jazz since 2013.
Gobert set the record for the longest wingspan (7’9”) and the highest standing reach (9’7” – just five inches short of the ring!) when he declared for the 2013 draft. Although not a prolific scorer, the man set franchise records for blocks and rebounds, showing exactly how important he was in the lane – which is no wonder why he was nicknamed the ‘Stifle Tower’.
But he does have the intelligence to find space and create space for his teammates while simultaneously making himself available with baseline runs and stationing himself near the ring for the right pass. Once he’s up in the air, he is almost unstoppable.
Gobert had a good pre-Olympic warm-up game against Serbia with 16 points even though France lost and he will be one to look out for in Rio.
