The battle between Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons for the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award gets heated every day and in recent hours, they have gotten off the court to take their fight to different grounds. It was Simmons who started everything, making the case for himself as the rightful winner of the award during post-game interviews and more.
More recently, he sat down with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols to discuss a series of topics, including his chances to win the coveted prize over the Utah Jazz player. Simmons took a big shot at Gobert, saying he can’t guard the five positions and when they clashed, Simmons gave him a 40-piece.
“I’m one of those guys who can guard one through five,” Simmons said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of respect for Rudy. I know what he’s capable of. I know he’s great down there in the paint.
“But he’s not guarding everybody, and that’s just what it is. He guarded me in Utah. I had 42. And apparently I’m not a scorer. It is what it is.”
Those words didn’t sit well with the Frenchman, who didn’t go to TV to respond to the Australian. Instead, he took to Instagram to share a little quote that pretty much explains how he feels about this situation.
“Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.”
Rudy isn’t having any of that and he’s ready to let everybody know the game will speak for himself and he won’t be lobbying to get the award.
This is only getting better. We are entering the final stretch of the regular season and right now, it’s unclear who is going to win this award. They both have good cases and the next games will define who has the edge in one of the best races we’ve seen in recent years.
