On May 8, Beijing time, the NBA officially announced that Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gobert's award is well deserved, the fourth time in his career, and he is tied with Deacbe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most all-time awards. Since last season, the Defensive Player of the Year award has been named the Olajuwon Award to honor Hakiem Olajuwon's outstanding achievements on the defensive end.
The level of a team's defensive ability can also determine whether the team has a fate with the championship; A good defensive player can be the heart of a team's defensive system, influencing the outcome of the game when it matters most.
In the regular season this season, Gobert played in 76 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 14 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. With his impeccable defensive impact, he helped the Timberwolves to a 56-26 record, ranking third in the West. Gobert's personal defensive efficiency of 104.5 ranks first in the league, and his Timberwolves also have the highest defensive efficiency in the league.
In the playoffs, Gobert continued to perform steadily and well, averaging 13.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, helping the Timberwolves sweep the Phoenix Suns 4-0 and lead the Denver Nuggets 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals. Gobert's dominance on the defensive end puts pressure on the opposing offensive players; With long arms and excellent defensive awareness under the basket, he has become an insurmountable barrier for the Timberwolves on the defensive end.
Among the three nominees for the NBA's official Defensive Player of the Year award, in addition to Gobert, there are San Antonio Spurs' top pick Wembanyama and Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo.
Wembanyama is averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game this season, ranking first in the league in blocks statistics. Bam Adebayo, on the other hand, averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. Although both players performed equally well, Gobert's combined impact on the defensive end and his contribution to the team's victory ultimately helped him stand out and win the award. It can be said that those two contenders did not lose unjustly, and Gobert is a blessing of both the individual and the team, so it is not surprising that he won this award.
Gobert's winning the award again is an affirmation of his top-tier defensive ability and a recognition of the Timberwolves' overall defensive system. Under Gobert's leadership, the Timberwolves have shown great efficiency and teamwork on the defensive end, and this long-lost defensive performance has set a good example for the rest of the league. Gobert's art of defense reminded people of the importance of defense in basketball, as the saying goes, "defense is what wins championships".
Every great defensive player in the history of the NBA will be remembered, and Gobert's four-time Defensive Player of the Year award has put his name alongside the legends of all time. The Timberwolves' defense this season has been amazing, after all, the era of encouraging offense has been around for a long time, and this extreme defense in the playoffs seems to take us back to the period of 2009 and 2010 when the Lakers ruled - the defensive battle is really exciting.
And this long-lost passion is exactly what Gobert and the Timberwolves will bring to us; Such a sincere and focused game is really worthy of the support of the fans who bought tickets to watch the game, who doesn't like such a Timberwolves? We respect and love this team, and we are also fans of competitive sportsmanship – sport needs to go back to its essence and encourage fair and just confrontation, not the "little tricks" that ruin people, don't you think?