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Rio de Janeiro – Jazz fans who are curious about what Boris Diaw will bring to the team should be excited about his performance for France in the Olympics. Those who are eager to see offensive development from Rudy Gobert this summer should be less encouraged. Diaw is thriving in Rio, with an all-around game that's well suited to international basketball. He's a remarkable passer, as he showed Wednesday with nine assists in a win over Serbia. In three games, Diaw is averaging 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. That production is not surprising, because the 34-year-old team captain is a longtime fixture of the French team. Gobert is averaging 6.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. Those are decent numbers in about 23 minutes per game, but they're somewhat inflated by his good game against China. He has been less effective against higher-level opponents Australia and Serbia. Even though Gobert is in the starting lineup, he's new to France's offensive scheme after not having played for the team in the Olympic qualifying tournament last month. He's an afterthought in the offense, although Diaw seems conscious of trying to get him the ball inside. But Gobert has fumbled some passes and his points are coming mostly via free throws – he's 10 of 18 from the line in three games. Gobert's defense has been good, with some spectacular blocked shots. Australia found ways to work around him, but he did a better rim-protecting job against China and Serbia. France should clinch a quarterfinal berth by beating Venezuela on Friday, then the team will meet the USA on Sunday to conclude preliminary play. So Gobert will have some big opportunities to make an Olympic impact, facing the Americans and then competing in the tournament's knockout stage. – Kurt Kragthorpe