Rudy Gobert was the best defender on the NBA's best defensive team, resulting in him winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award for a record-tying fourth time.
Gobert, 31, of the Minnesota Timberwolves won his fourth NBA Top Defensive Player award on Tuesday, receiving 72 of 99 first-place votes, joining Hall of Famers Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo. did.
Victor Wembaneyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, took second place, and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat took third place.
Rudy Gobert:
Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner pic.twitter.com/UwnPhxzYeP
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 7, 2024
The 7-foot-1 Gobert anchored a Timberwolves defense that led the league in rating (108.8 points per 100 possessions) and opponent field goal percentage (45 percent). According to Minnesota's analytics department, Gobert's individual defensive rating of 106.6 was the highest among players who averaged at least 25 minutes per game.
“It's great teamwork,” Gobert said on TNT after the award was announced. “We love giving awards and things like that to individuals, and that's great, but we can't do it alone. I want to thank (Minnesota team president) Tim Connelly, (coach) Chris Finch and everyone for believing in me. , I'm really grateful to all my teammates for allowing me to do my best every day and just trying to build a culture here at Minnesota State.
“It's a credit to them for buying in and coming in with the same mindset,” Gobert added. “We wanted to be a defensive-minded team, and we’ve been able to do that so far this year.”
Gobert previously won Defensive Player of the Year with the Utah Jazz in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Gobert, in his second season with the Timberwolves, leads the defending champion Denver Nuggets 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinal series, but Gobert missed Monday's game due to the birth of his son Romeo. He missed two games.
Wembaneyama, 20, was supposed to be the first rookie to be named the league's top defensive player. He led the NBA in blocks by a wide margin, averaging 3.6 blocks per game.
With many of Miami's starters missing the majority of games with injuries, Adebayo is perhaps the NBA's preeminent switchable defender out of the post, averaging 10.4 rebounds and playing the fifth-best defense in the league. I supported you.
Compared to Wenby's stats, Gobert's stats are probably a little behind the rookies, but when Gobert contests shots, opponents shoot just 49 percent in the paint and Gobert is the closest defender. He shot 43.4 percent from anywhere on the floor.
During the regular season, Gobert was sixth in the league in blocks (2.1 per game), second in rebounds (12.9 per game) and fourth in defensive rebounds (9.2 per game). His team was tied for first place in the West on the final day of the regular season, while the Spurs ranked 21st in the league in defense and had the league's fifth-worst record.
Gobert and Wenbanyama are a solid, attractive pair of 7-foot rim protectors and general defensemen who will co-anchor Team France's defense at this summer's Paris Olympics, where international rules allow paint and goaltending. I will do it.
“For us, Victor will play alongside Rudy,” said Team France coach Vincent Collet. The Athletic. “They are our top duo, our mainstay. We have a lot of options, but it will probably be Rudy and Victor who will start the game.”
The NBA's No. 1 and No. 2 defensemen on the same national team trying to defend their home court at the Olympics hosted by France?
Looks like they're preparing for a block party.
Must read
(Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren photo: Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)