Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was voted as the NBA바카라s Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career, beating out rookie sensation and fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. (More Basketball News)
Gobert 바카라 who previously won the award as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2018, 2019 and 2021 바카라 joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only players to be named the league바카라s top defender four times.
Gobert received 72 of a possible 99 first-place votes after anchoring the Wolves바카라 top-ranked defence all year. Wembanyama received 19 first-place votes to finish second. Bam Adebayo narrowly edged Anthony Davis for third, while Herbert Jones rounded out the top five.
The Timberwolves allowed an NBA-low 106.5 points per game this season, almost two points ahead of the second-place New York Knicks (108.2). Gobert played 76 games while averaging 12.9 rebounds (second in the NBA) and 2.13 blocks (sixth).
Many of Gobert바카라s teammates in Minnesota have said that Gobert helped cultivate a culture that values defence, which has been on display throughout the Timberwolves바카라 6-0 start to the playoffs.
바카라This year, training camp, we came Day 1 and said we wanted to be a top defence in this league,바카라 Gobert said on TNT while accepting his award. 바카라Every guy has bought in. Everyone has put in the work every single day, and now we바카라re here with one goal in mind, to try to get this championship.바카라
Many fans and analysts criticised the trade that brought Gobert to Minnesota as too expensive for a limited offensive player.
Tim Connelly, the Wolves바카라 president of basketball operations, has seen his vision manifested beautifully, as Minnesota leads the defending champion Denver Nuggets 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinals series that continues Friday.
The future of this award seems to be firmly in the giant palms of Wembanyama, who led the NBA with 3.58 blocked shots per game.
Joakim Noah became the first French player to be voted Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, and Gobert has built on that with his impressive run.
It would not be shocking if Wembanyama, 20, had a similar run of dominance in the near future.
