A couple of years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves drew mockery and criticism for how much they gave up to get Rudy Gobert.
He’s one of the best rim protectors in the league, but he’s constantly been exposed in the playoffs, which is why most fans — and even some of his colleagues — believe he’s overhyped, overpaid, and overrated.
Gobert made great strides to work on his perimeter defense last season.
For the first time in his career, he was actually a factor outside of the restricted area, holding his own against smaller and quicker players, and winning yet another Defensive Player of the Year award.
However, after some subpar performances in the playoffs, the narrative around him flipped again.
To add injury to insult, it didn’t take him even a full quarter in the Olympics before being put on a poster (via Evan Sidery).
Wow, Rudy Gobert was just put on one of the biggest poster dunks of his career. pic.twitter.com/eQzmIYQlx2
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 27, 2024
The French big man went viral after getting dunked on emphatically by a Brazilian player, who finished an alley-oop right over him.
Gobert is a very solid defensive player, and those don’t grow on trees anymore.
Even so, from there to being the best defender in the league might be a long stretch.
Some people even thought that Victor Wembanyama should’ve won DPOY over him last season, even if his team’s record was significantly worse.
But now that he already has a full season under his belt and the Spurs are expected to be slightly better, perhaps Wembanyama will be able to put an end to his compatriot’s supremacy and dominance over the award once and for all.
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Photo Of Anthony Edwards Dunking On Kevin Durant Is Going Viral