Ex-teammate EXPOSES Rudy Gobert’s weakness after DPOY received brutal criticism
Gordon Hayward touched on Rudy Gobert's struggle with perimeter defense against a team with high-level guards.
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Gordan Hayward exposes Rudy Gobert's biggest weakness on defense
Rudy Gobert had made headlines yet again months after his latest Defensive Player of the Year campaign. The reigning DPOY winner had been the talking point for past players and his peers when it came to the defense of the ball. This time the criticism comes from his own former Utah Jazz play-mate, Gordon Hayward.
Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert won the most recent annotation for the best defender in the league, marking his fourth win. This put him atop the list with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo,who had also won DPOY four times. However, his performances have caused several veterans and players to question the extent of the French big man’s prowess against top-level offenses.
Rudy is obviously I think one of the best of all time at protecting the rim… I mean he’s good at protecting the rim… but he always had problem guarding on the perimeter, anytime that we play a quick guard that can also shoot it was going to be tough for us… his only critique as a defensive player is being [not] able to guard the perimeter.
Gordon Hayward at the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone
Hayward touched on Gobert’s struggle with perimeter defense against a team with high-level guards. This had been a glaring problem throughout the Timberwolves’ center since his rookie year. Tracing back to most of Gobert’s playoffs exit, the big man failed to keep up with teams exploiting his weakness for seven straight games.
Gordon Hayward admits that Rudy Gobert has difficulty guarding the perimeter
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 31, 2024
“He always had problems guarding around the perimeter and that was something anytime we played like a quick guard that can also shoot it was going to be tough for us. We had really tough times against… pic.twitter.com/Zct95SHfv1
Much of the controversy around Gobert had been reignited after his recent campaign for the award. Most fans were shocked as Anthony Davis was the alleged fan favorite to win, who, unlike Gobert, displayed terrific skills both on the perimeter and inside the paint.
Anthony Davis next in line for the Defensive Player Of The Year Award
Anthony Davis has consistently been one of the best defenders in the NBA for the past few years. With health-related setbacks blocking the Lakers center from actually earning a Defensive Player of the Year nod. Barring any unforeseen obstacle, Davis is the favorite for many to claim the award.
The end of last season saw Davis reportedly upset with the DPOY finalists list, from which he was absent. The 7-footer even went on an interview with ESPN to rant about his omission. Davis was limited by three consecutive injuries last season which could’ve cost him the award.
The Lakers star is looking to set things straight as he has been on a tear recently, going as far as calling out Gobert on LA’s home opener win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Davis starting off the season this hot, a Defensive Player of the Year Award might be in the works for Los Angeles.
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Anjum Ash.
(521 Articles Published)