It was a tie between Rudy Gobert and Hall of Fame big guys Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most awards in NBA history. A group of sports writers and broadcasters gave him 72 first-place votes and 433 points. Rudy Gobert finished tied for sixth place in blocks per game (2.1), and he averaged 14 points and 12.9 rebounds in 76 games.
Rudy Gobert on His Achievement
This was his seventh consecutive season in which he averaged a double-double.
“We love to give individual awards and all these things and it’s great, but you can’t do it alone,” Rudy Gobert explained to reporters. “
I truly have a lot of gratitude for all of my colleagues, including Chris Finch, who is the head coach of the Timberwolves, and Tim Connelly, who is the president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves. They have allowed me to do what I do best every day. Just make an effort to alter the standard of living in Minnesota.
Notable Achievement of Rudy Gobert
However, Rudy Gobert’s most notable accomplishment during this season was serving as the linchpin of the Timberwolves’ oppressive defence. Over the course of the regular season, Minnesota ranked first in both the number of points allowed per game (106.5) and the percentage of field goals allowed (45 percent). Additionally, they ranked among the top five in blocks (4.5) and rebounding (41.4).
“It’s great to the guys for buying in and coming every single night with the same mindset,” Gobert stated to reporters. “We really wanted to be a defensive-minded team and we really want to do that so far this year.”
Rudy Gobert, who is the first player in the history of the Timberwolves franchise to win the honour, won his first three Defensive Player of the Year accolades while playing for the Utah Jazz (in 2018, 2019, and 2021). Over the course of his 11-year career with the Jazz (2013-2022) and the Timberwolves (2023-2024), Rudy Gobert has collected an average of 12.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 757 regular-season games. He has been selected to the All-Star team three times.
Victor Wembanyama, the centre for the San Antonio Spurs, who was honoured with the title of NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, also placed in second place in the vote. Wembanyama, who was selected first overall in the 2023 draft, topped the league in blocks per game with an average of 3.6 and also grabbed 1.2 steals per game on average. He scored a total of 245 points and 19 votes for finishing first.
Bam Adebayo, the centre for the Miami Heat, placed third with 91 points, Anthony Davis, the forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, finished fourth with 83 points, and Herbert Jones, the forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, scored fourteen points to close out the top five.
