Rudy Gobert claimed the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday night after anchoring the Jazz in an incredible season few saw coming. Utah floundered early into the season when Gobert missed time with a sprained PCL in his left knee. When he returned, the Jazz morphed into the best defensive team in the NBA, darted up the Western Conference standings into the No. 5 seed, and ultimately upset the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games of the first round of the playoffs.
Rudy Gobert wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Gobert returned from injury and turned the Jazz into a defensive juggernaut.
Gobert averaged 14 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, but his impact extended far beyond the stat sheet. The Jazz were a completely different team with their French defender on the floor. And after years falling behind Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green, Gobert finally has the Defensive Player of the Year award he’s deserved all along.
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