Is he really, though? Utah seems to have pretty similar success whether he's there, or not. And doesn't lead to all that much winning (at least not in the postseason).
Yeah, he definitely is. I'd be curious as to what numbers you're looking at that say they have similar success whether he's there or not because everything I see points strongly to the contrary.
2015-16:
with Gobert on the court, they outscored opponents by 4.7 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 53 win pace
with Gobert off the court, their opponents outscored them by 1.2 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 37 win pace
2016-17:
with Gobert on the court, they outscored opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 61 win pace
with Gobert off the court, their opponents outscored them by 6.5 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 25 win pace
2017-18:
with Gobert on the court, they outscored opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 64 win pace
with Gobert off the court, their opponents outscored them by 0.3 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 40 win pace
2018-19:
with Gobert on the court, they outscored opponents by 7.6 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 60 win pace
with Gobert off the court, they outscored opponents by 4.9 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 54 win pace
2019-20:
with Gobert on the court, they outscored opponents by 6.5 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 57 win pace
with Gobert off the court, their opponents outscored them by 4.5 points per 100 possessions, that point differential translates to a 30 win pace
Cleaning the Glass Stats
www.cleaningtheglass.com
I don't think it's a stretch to say that the Jazz would go from fighting for HC advantage in the WC playoffs to an early lotto team if they lost Gobert.
Hmmmm.... Let me run this logic by you. Most draft classes have at least one or more Hall of Famers. Now as impactful as Gobert is defensively, it is unlikely he will be a HOFer.
So the questions are, what are the odds the Cavs come up with one of those HOFers in this draft (10-1, 5-1, 3-1?), and is it worth the risk to acquire Gobert?
I think it's pretty likely Gobert is a Hall of Famer.
Regardless of that though, if you're hoarding picks because you MIGHT draft a Hall of Famer, you're probably going to end up on the short side of a lot of deals. The odds of drafting a Hall of Famer are FAR lower than you're thinking.