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Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves may be the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but he didn’t win the award without some controversy.
Critics claim he didn’t truly deserve it, saying that other than blocking shots, he doesn’t excel enough on the defensive end.
There have been times over the years when Gobert has become a bit of a liability come playoff time because of his limitations, to the point where his coach has had to pull him off the court.
It is a problem former NBA star and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pointed out while on “The Sheed x Tyler Show.”
“He’s great at the rim, he plays hard, he can block shots and stuff, but like in space is trouble,” Billups said.
Chauncey Billups says he struggles with the fact that Rudy Gobert is a Defensive Player of the Year, yet teams are still able to attack him in the playoffs
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Billups said that when his teams had the ball they would attack Gobert defensively, which is something that isn’t typically done to great defensive players.
The center, as Billups pointed out, has trouble guarding players out on the floor and adequately guarding the pick-and-roll.
Gobert averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game last season, but in the Timberwolves’ five-game loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, his numbers went down significantly.
He mustered 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game despite no reduction in his playing time.
Though his Timberwolves took a big step forward overall during the 2023-24 season, it isn’t easy to predict just how much room for growth they have as a team, and one reason is Gobert’s limitations.
Not only does he have his issues defensively, but he is even more limited on offense, which is another thing opponents can expose.
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