Can the Utah Jazz big man win his third Defensive Player of the Year Award?
The Jazzmen are currently in control of the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, and at 38-12 have the best record in the entire NBA. In the center of all the Utah Jazz’s success is All-Star center Rudy Gobert.
Despite this not being the best offensive season of Gobert’s eight-year NBA career, as the 28-year-old is averaging under 15 points per game for the first time since 2017-18, it might be his most impactful on the defensive end. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019) is looking to win the award again, and so far his play has shown that he is worthy of it.
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Gobert is currently averaging over 13 rebounds per game and is second in the league in blocks at 2.9 per game. With these averages, along with the fact that “The Stifle Tower” currently has the highest defensive rating in the league at 100.6, it’s hard to imagine that anyone is more likely to win the Defensive Player of the Year honor.
However, there are a few other players making a strong case to be considered for the award as well. So let’s now look at them here one at a time…