Monson: Rudy Gobert’s time has come — start him

It's time for Rudy Gobert to start and finish for the Jazz.

It's time for Enes Kanter to spend more time on the pine.

We've all thought it. We've skirted around the edges of it. Gobert wants it. Jazz teammates see it. Now, it's time to come right out and say it, time for Quin Snyder to do it.

Enough of the fiddle-faddling around.

Make room on the floor for the big Frenchman, give him the symbolic nod as a starter, the minutes he needs to become what he can be. Play him as much as Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. Maybe more. Be patient through his mistakes and look past his limitations, especially at the offensive end. And watch him continue to grow into one of the most valuable pieces in the Jazz's rebuild.

Snyder started Gobert in the second half against San Antonio the other night instead of Kanter — but he said afterward that it was not a "long-term decision."

It should be.

It's complicated. We get it.

Kanter is a more polished offensive player who is better suited at present to help the Jazz at that end. On most nights. Gobert is raw, still discovering which body part goes where in attempts to learn moves he's yet to master. But if he ever gets them down, and he's shown large increments of improvement in the time he's gotten … well, then, hell hath no fury like a man whose dimensions are that vast, with a bit of nasty that Gobert has occasionally revealed.

He wants to be good. And he already thinks he is. But not so much to the point where that confidence threatens to rupture his development. He struggled in the early going to get to his spots, a shortcoming seen and underscored by Dennis Lindsey over that initial span. Now, he's doing better.

Notice how much Gobert handles the ball when he's in the game. It's not as though he's facing up and taking people off the bounce. But he is setting up his teammates both in rudimentary and advanced fashion, getting them the ball via simple hand-offs and sophisticated interior passes. He hit Favors recently with such an assist from one side of the paint to the other for a Jazz score that required an understanding on his part of proper timing and positioning, movement mixed with a dash of creativity.

It was a delivery he could not have made a month ago.

His shot needs refining, as do the aforementioned moves. But the big man is smart — or does it just seem that way because of the terrific French accent? — and he's a quick study. He's a player who takes pride in himself and his work, so being fatheaded and apathetic shouldn't be a problem.

The other end, of course, is Gobert's hallmark, the place where his intercontinental reach has already made its impact, gaining a lot of attention around the league. The one thing NBA players hate, more than anything else, is getting their shot blocked. It's like an attack on their manhood. They do whatever they can to avoid that kind of embarrassment. And, so, once Gobert starts swatting field-goal attempts away, guys start altering their shots. Airballs and bricks are nobody's idea of a good result, but players will take them anytime over the kinds of rejections Gobert can muster.

He unfolds that long frame as though it were an extension ladder, legs and kneecaps and abdomen and arms and elbows and hands and fingers snapping into place. Next thing, the Spalding is spinning back over opponents' noggins. Yeah, they can't stand that.

Back in the '80s, when the Showtime Lakers were putting fear into the hearts of many, the one team they loathed playing was the emerging Jazz. John Stockton was great and so was Karl Malone. But Mark Eaton was the last man they wanted to run into. They used to talk about that at practice and whisper about it elsewhere.

The young Gobert can do something similar for this iteration of the Jazz, a squad that's trying to find its footing and an ascending path up the steep slopes of a formidable Western Conference. And he can be better than Eaton when the Jazz are in possession.

There will be undulations en route. The Jazz will have to abide those rough stretches, particularly on offense, with Gobert getting the time he needs. It puts pressure on the other four on the floor to be proficient and efficient. Kanter can help out, here and there. Maybe Snyder can find an effective role for him. But as long as Kanter struggles on defense, he compromises what the club is trying to get done.

Kanter can be a nice player. Gobert can be a difference-maker.

The Jazz know this. They should know this.

They have their concerns — Kanter is in a contract year and maybe the Jazz want his trade value preserved. Either way, bit by bit, Gobert's minutes have risen, in part because of injuries, in part because they have eyes to see. On the season, Gobert is averaging 21 minutes. Over the past 10 games, he's gotten 29. On Sunday night, against the Spurs, Snyder made his move to start Gobert in that second half, and Rudy ended up with 13 points, 18 boards and 4 blocks.

Snyder should make a habit of that.

He should scribble it in concrete, let it dry and live by it.

Play the unfolding ladder.

It's time.

It's Rudy Gobert's time, completely ready or not, to reach up and out, to aid his team in the future, to help it be better than it's been in the past — so far this season and all of last.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.