Whether it's doing something like this … Or something like this … Rudy Gobert has definitely made a leap this year. And while the talk has died down some as we've gotten well into the NBA season, something that kept coming up from coaches and teammates was Gobert's play with France in the World Cup. It was a confidence booster. It was a springboard to his success now in the league. Gobert's game against Spain in particular was viewed as a coming out party for the 22-year-old. He scored five points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help upset the heavily favored hosts. "I was happy that I spent the summer with him," Spurs forward Boris Diaw, a member of the French national team, said when San Antonio came to town earlier this month. "He's taken more responsibilities with us and I think it has helped him. He's a big part of the French national team and it's good to see his success carry over. What you don't want is to show improvement and then go back to the NBA and they don't have confidence in you. It's good to see him playing consistently and doing what he does." But it's kind of funny, because Gobert sees it all a bit differently. "[The World Cup] was great for the team," he said. "Everybody played great and we got some wins. For me, I think it was more like getting respected by people. For me, that was good. I learned a lot this summer. But I think the thing was I showed people I could." I thought that was a pretty strong testament to Gobert's self belief. And that was further cemented when I asked him about what was probably his most iconic moment of the tournament, a crunch-time block of Spain's Pau Gasol. "Everybody remembered that," Gobert said. "I had blocks like that last season, too, but nobody talked about them." I wrote a bunch more about Gobert's pride, passion and potential beginning to shine through during his second season in the NBA. But here are a few other things that didn't make the story: Where has his game most improved? Gordon Hayward: "His hands have gotten a lot better. I think that's because he's anticipating when the ball is going to come to him a little bit more. He's out there on the court and he knows when passes might head his way. I've seen a big improvement in that." Did it take Hayward a while to figure out how to pass to Gobert? Hayward: "It's one of those things where you've got to know your receiver. You can pretty much throwing anything Fav's way and he'll catch it. And I remember Enes had some issues with that when he first started playing, too. It's just an adjustment you've got to make. As you continue to play and you learn from each other, those passes will continue to connect." Gobert added about 10 pounds of muscle this summer. Lindsey: "I think there has been a significant step. I think it really starts with his work on his body and his strength. That has allowed him to play more effectively. Last year he had [good] moments, but he had many moments were he was just short of completing plays. this year, the added strength has allowed him to finish instead of just falling short." Give Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen a lot of credit. Snyder: "He's done a phenomenal job. That's the right word, too.[Gobert's] free throws. Just being able to string plays together. [Strength coaches Mark McKown and Isaiah Wright] have also been terrific. If you look at his balance and how he's able to move laterally, he's able to put himself in position to block more shots." Lindsey: "We were able to change the release point on his free throws. He hasn't really applied it out on the court in the game [with jump shots], but he changed his shooting stroke. A lot of guys just aren't willing to do that. It's a real personal deal. He and Alex Jensen get a lot of credit on changing his release point. The timing on his shot is better." Evan Fournier had some impressions of Gobert's voice that I couldn't do justice in print. You can listen to them here. — Aaron Falk
