Recently, a well-known website conducted an interesting survey of active players about the greatest players of all time, the major awards of the regular season, etc. Among them, the selection of the most overrated players has become the focus of attention. Gobert came out on top with 13.6 percent of the vote, and it's clear that this is not a glorious award. But for Gobert, he doesn't seem to have to prove anything, because no one can ignore his role.
In terms of technical characteristics, Gobert does not meet the requirements of the small-ball era for interior players. In small-ball play, it requires interior players to be able to pull out shots and be able to hold the ball to drive offense, which is not what Gobert is good at. Coupled with Gobert's five-year, $205 million super-cap salary contract and his long-term inability to lead the team to good results, Gobert is nicknamed the most overrated player in the active roster.
However, Gobert's ability to gain a foothold in the league and make it to the first echelon of centers proves that his ability is still on the line. Although the offensive end is not well-rounded, Gobert's defensive ability is historic, no matter how the league adjusts the rules, Gobert's defense can always play an effective role on the court, and Gobert has won three Defensive Player of the Year trophies, an honor that is rare for active players and even in NBA history.
As an interior player, Gobert didn't "stand up" on the interior because of his height, and his defense was able to spread throughout the entire half. Gobert is a bit skinny, but he can provide high-quality matchups on the inside, and while ensuring confrontations, Gobert is also fast enough to move quickly enough to fill in the holes left by the team's defense if his teammates leak.
With the rise of small-ball tactics, Gobert can be said to be one of the few defensive centers in the league today, but Gobert can still remain competitive enough on the court to prove that Gobert's ability is still online. No matter what kind of opponent he faces, Gobert is always able to use his strengths to put pressure on his opponents, and if his opponent hesitates, Gobert will limit them to his own defensive range and let his opponent learn how good he is.
For the Timberwolves, they were willing to trade 9-for-1 to get Gobert because of his defensive ability. Although the Timberwolves have Towns on the inside, they are not a threat on the defensive end, and the quality of the Timberwolves' defense has not been high, which is one of the reasons why they have never been able to create good results. With the arrival of Gobert, the Timberwolves gradually became balanced offensively and defensively, especially on the defensive end, which greatly suppressed the opponent.
A large part of the Timberwolves' improvement in the last two seasons is due to the arrival of Gobert, and it is precisely because of Gobert's presence that Towns and Edwards can release more power on the offensive end. Therefore, the "most overrated player" will not prove Gobert's "incompetence", but will stimulate Gobert to make him better and contribute more and more to the Timberwolves.