Gobert has fought the “defensive specialist” label ever since, never more so than this season, when his scoring average dipped for the second time in his seven-year career. The first time was when Mitchell came on board. “Rudy wasn’t doing what they wanted him to do at a certain point this season,” a rival scout says. “He became enamored with his offense. He’s a hard dude to play with. He can only do so much on offense. He’s not a particularly skilled player.”