Rudy Gobert was the best defender on the best defensive team in the NBA and as a result is the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for a record fourth time.
Gobert, 31, of the Minnesota Timberwolves, joined Hall of Famers Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo on Tuesday to win his fourth award as the NBA’s best defensive player. Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, named NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat were the other finalists.
RUDY GOBERT:
4x DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/UwnPhxzYeP
– Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 7, 2024
The 7-foot-1 Gobert anchored a Timberwolves defense that led the league in scoring (108.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). Gobert’s individual defensive rating of 106.6 was the best of any player who averaged at least 25 minutes per game, according to Minnesota’s analytics department.
Opponents shot just 49 percent in the paint when Gobert contested the shot. He finished 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) during the regular season.
Gobert previously won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018, 2019 and 2021 with the Utah Jazz. His current team has a 2-0 lead over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference semifinal series, although Gobert missed Game 2 on Monday due to the birth of his child.
Wembanyama, 20, would have been the first rookie to be named the league’s best defensive player. He led the NBA in blocks by a wide margin, averaging 3.6 per game.
Adebayo, perhaps the NBA’s primary switchable defender out of the post, averaged 10.4 rebounds and anchored the league’s fifth-best defense while many of Miami’s starters missed numerous games due to injuries.
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(Photo by Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren: Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)