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Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 season, which was his fourth such award.
For years, he has been an excellent shot blocker, but plenty questioned the wisdom of giving him that honor this past season.
Former star center Dwight Howard, who won the award three years in a row, said on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast that while Gobert is a good team defender, he feels Gobert isn’t a truly elite defender and that he hasn’t deserved his four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Dwight Howard shares his thoughts on Rudy Gobert’s DPOYs pic.twitter.com/eWRSQcGvxD
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) August 30, 2024
Gobert averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots a game this past season, and he played a sizable role in the Timberwolves finishing first in defensive rating and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
However, come playoff time, he can be a liability in some ways, as he isn’t a flexible or versatile defender and is very limited offensively.
Minnesota appears to now be a legitimate championship contender, but they do have a couple of question marks, starting with Gobert’s deficiencies.
They have an aging starting point guard in Mike Conley, who will be 37 years of age on opening night this fall, and some wonder about the maturity of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, their two main offensive options.
The good thing for the Timberwolves, on the other hand, is that the balance of power in the NBA right now seems to be shifting to the East.
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