We can now add Chauncey Billups to the long list of Rudy Gobert’s detractors. Billups recently made an appearance on the Sheed and Tyler Show, where former NBA player Bonzi Wells told him he struggles to understand how someone like Gobert who struggles in the playoffs wins the Defensive Player of the Year award.
“I struggle with it too Bonzi,” Billups said. “My first year coaching I was with the Clippers. We played Utah, he was in Utah… Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great defender but he’s not as versatile as like the Ben Wallace’s, so he can be played off the floor with some of this spacing, right? And this shooting.”
“With Rudy, we attacked him the whole series and he’s a great defensive player, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t just attack great defensive players,” Billups stated. “…You going away from them.”
“So, that’s the difference in today’s game a little bit is like, yeah, he’s great at the rim, he plays hard, he can block shots and stuff, but like in space it’s trouble, and pick-and-rolls you just attack — you can just go after him,” Billups added. “So, I struggle with that too but he is a good defensive player, don’t get me wrong.”
“Regular season, I can understand why he’d be Defensive Player of the Year,” Billups continued. “Get deeper in them playoffs, it’s tricky.”
(starts at 0:27 mark):
I think Billups’ last point is the most relevant one. DPOY is a regular season award and in the regular season, Gobert has been excellent defensively. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a league-best defensive rating of 108.4 last season and Gobert, who won his fourth DPOY in 2024, was a big reason for that.
There is no denying that Anthony Edwards is the best player for the Timberwolves, but if you removed Gobert, who averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game in 2023-24, and just put some mediocre defender in there, I don’t think they finish with a 56-26 record. They might have gotten close to 50 but that’s it.
I also believe Gobert was a lot better in the playoffs in 2024 than he had been in the past. The 32-year-old held his own even when he was dragged away from the basket in the first round series against the Phoenix Suns and played a big part in the Timberwolves winning 4-0.
Where Gobert did get exposed, though, was the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. The three-time All-Star had no answer for Luka Doncic but to be fair to him, not many defenders in the NBA do. It’s still fair to criticize him for not being able to deal with the Slovenian in the playoffs, but that shouldn’t be a factor when talking about a regular-season award.
Chauncey Billups Says Victor Wembanyama Will Win DPOY The Next 10 Years
The top two for DPOY for 2024 were both Frenchman, as Victor Wembanyama finished runner-up to Gobert. Billups hilariously stated during this episode that you wouldn’t have to worry about Gobert winning DPOY for a fifth time because Wembanyama is going to win the next 10. (starts at the 0:11 mark):
“The next 10 going to Wemby,” Billups said.
While the next 10 might not be going to Wembanyama, I think he is going to win the award for the foreseeable future. He led the league in blocks with 3.6 per game last season and I expect him to keep getting better in the years to come. That’s quite a scary thought as well for the rest of the league.
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