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After briefly speaking with Rudy Gobert, center from France (Cholet), he told me that he will not workout with the Indiana Pacers before the draft. If a prospect is not worked out by Indiana, that normally means there is a very, very small chance they will draft them. Since Indiana did not reach out to Gobert's agent, Bouna Ndaiye, you can easily tell the Pacers are not interested in drafting Gobert.
Gobert's draft stock has slipped by the week for the last month now. He was a high lottery pick before thedraft lottery, but now he is expected to be taken anywhere from 12-26. His range is one of the biggest for any prospect in this draft. If he is there at 23, it sounds like Indiana will pass on him. Rudy has worked out for Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix, and Minnesota so far.
In my opinion, the 7'2" Frenchman would have given Indiana an upgrade over Ian Mahinmi and Miles Plumlee, but he needs more seasoning overseas. Gobert will likely be told to stay overseas for another year or two to round-out his skills. Could this be a sign that Indiana is not interested in international players who will need more development, like the "Greek Freak", Giannis Adetokunbo? It very well could be, since Gobert is not coming in for a workout.
Indiana Pacers lead scout, Ryan Carr, was in attendance to see Gobert play on December 8. Gobert had 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 15 minutes during Cholet's 77-75 win over Strasbourg. Carr must have came out unimpressed by Gobert during this game, with him not coming to Indiana for a workout.
If you were hoping for Gobert to be drafted and play alongside Roy Hibbert in Indiana's frontcourt, you are out of luck. This could be the same fate for other international prospects that Pacers fans want on draft night. Not inviting Gobert for a workout could be a trend some fans might not like.