The three-time All-Star has been one of the NBA’s top defenders since he entered the league in 2017. Last season, Ben Simmons was the league’s steals leader and was awarded All-Defensive Team honors.
This year, Simmons’ defensive numbers haven’t quite matched those from last season. However, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers thinks that his star point guard does much more than any box score could reflect.
Simmons himself hasn’t been shy about throwing his own name in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year while trying to take some of the spotlight off of Rudy Gobert.
“He’s a great defender, but I don’t think he’s guarding one through fives. You can’t tell [Rudy Gobert] to go guard Kawhi [Leonard] or Paul [George] or guard a point guard. He’s not doing that on a daily basis.”
Utah Jazz fans might not have loved Simmons’ belittling remarks, but he’s not entirely wrong. At 6-foot-11, the Australian international has the size and athleticism to guard any position on the floor. In an era of positionless basketball, his switchability gives him an edge over big men like Gobert who can run into trouble when forced to guard a smaller player out on the perimeter.
Jazzmen are currently in control of the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, and at 38-12 have the best record in the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.espn.com/nba/standings/_/group/league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entire NBA</a>. In the center of all the Utah Jazz’s success is All-Star center <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Rudy Gobert</a>.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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…</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Ben Simmons </a>
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<h2>Threat to Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in DPOY race: Ben Simmons</h2>
<p>The three-time All-Star has been one of the NBA’s top defenders since he entered the league in 2017. Last season, Ben Simmons was the league’s steals leader and was awarded All-Defensive Team honors.</p>
<p>This year, Simmons’ defensive numbers haven’t quite matched those from last season. However, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers thinks that his star point guard does much more than any box score could reflect.</p>
<p>Recently <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/03/16/76ers-coach-doc-rivers-calls-ben-simmons-dpoy-lock-he-guards-every-position/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his defensive versatility</a>, Rivers said the 24-year-old “literally at times swallows players.”</p>
<p>Simmons himself hasn’t been shy about throwing his own name in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year while trying to take some of the spotlight off of Rudy Gobert.</p>
<p><em>The Philadelphia Inquirer</em> recently quoted Simmons <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-ben-simmons-defensive-player-year-ncaa-20210320.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointing out deficiencies</a> in the Frenchman’s game:</p>
<p>“He’s a great defender, but I don’t think he’s guarding one through fives. You can’t tell [Rudy Gobert] to go guard Kawhi [Leonard] or Paul [George] or guard a point guard. He’s not doing that on a daily basis.”</p>
<p>Utah Jazz fans might not have loved Simmons’ belittling remarks, but he’s not entirely wrong. At 6-foot-11, the Australian international has the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.nba.com/player/1627732/ben_simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">size and athleticism</a> to guard any position on the floor. In an era of positionless basketball, his switchability gives him an edge over big men like Gobert who can run into trouble when forced to guard a smaller player out on the perimeter.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Myles Turner </a>
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<h2>Threat to Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in DPOY race: Myles Turner</h2>
<p>Another player who has emerged as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year is Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, who currently leads the league in blocked shots, averaging 3.5 rejections per game.</p>
<p>While Turner has yet to receive the accolades that Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons have through the course of their career, the 25-year-old Texas native has proven to be one of the league’s best rim protectors. In 2019, he led the NBA in blocked shots and has been<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.nba.com/pacers/myles-turner-dpoy"> top five in that category</a> in all but one of his six seasons with the Pacers.</p>
<p>Turner’s play in recent weeks, including a game against the Dallas Mavericks where he recorded seven blocks, has caught the media’s attention.</p>
<p><em>NBA.com</em> currently has him at <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/04/07/utah-jazz-2-threaten-rudy-gobert-dpoy/2/"https://www.nba.com/news/defensive-player-ladder-myles-turner-rises" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 2 on the DPOY ladder</a>.</p>
<p>The player that Turner trails? You guessed it: Gobert.</p>
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<p>While Myles Turner and Ben Simmons will make the race close until the end, it appears to be Rudy Gobert’s to lose.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">