:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46196358/usa-today-8508898.0.jpg)
The NBA writers have spoken, and Utah Jazz bigman Rudy Gobert has placed fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Personally, being "only" fifth seems like a let down after the impact he has had on the team. If the MVP award usually goes to the best player on the best team out there then by a similar logic the DPOY award (otherwise known as the Defensive MVP) should go to the best defender on the team with the best defense. After the All-Star break that team was the Utah Jazz. And our best defensive player (by the numbers) was second year stud Rudy Gobert. That said, he wasn't hyped up by his head coach, no one stumped for him, and he ended up playing for a team that missed out of the playoffs. The four guys ahead of him, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, and winner Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs are all playing in the post-season while Rudy watching from home.
Here are all the details you need on the voting results, and for fun (because I feel like I've been slacking lately) here are the stats for those players side by side for your enjoyment.
| Total | Votes | Statistics | Advanced | ||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Pos | Points | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | G | MPG | RPG | SPG | BPG | DRTG | DWS | DBPM | |||
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard | Spurs | 3 | 333 | 37 | 41 | 25 | 64 | 31.8 | 7.2 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 96 | 4.4 | 3.5 | ||
| 2 | Draymond Green | Warriors | 4 | 3 | 317 | 45 | 25 | 17 | 79 | 31.5 | 8.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 97 | 5.2 | 4.0 | |
| 3 | DeAndre Jordan | Clippers | 5 | 261 | 32 | 25 | 26 | 82 | 34.4 |
15.0 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 98 | 5.4 | 3.2 | ||
| 4 | Anthony Davis | Pelicans | 4 | 5 | 107 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 68 | 36.1 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 100 | 4.2 | 3.0 | |
| 5 | Rudy Gobert | Jazz | 5 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 82 | 26.3 | 9.5 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 98 | 4.3 | 5.1 | ||
| 6 | Andrew Bogut | Warriors | 5 | 31 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 67 | 30.4 | 8.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 97 | 3.4 | 5.5 | ||
| 7 | Tony Allen | Grizzlies | 2 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 63 | 21.5 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 98 | 3.2 | 3.7 | |
| 8 | Tim Duncan | Spurs | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 77 | 28.9 | 9.1 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 97 | 4.7 | 4.7 | ||
| 9 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Hornets | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 55 | 28.9 | 7.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 103 | 3.8 | 1.3 | ||
| 10 | Jimmy Butler | Bulls | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 65 | 38.7 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 104 | 3.0 | 0.6 | ||
| Marc Gasol | Grizzlies | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 81 | 33.2 | 7.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 100 | 4.7 | 3.5 | |||
| 12 | Joakim Noah | Bulls | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 67 | 30.6 | 9.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 102 | 3.1 | 3.6 | ||
| 13 | LeBron James | Cavaliers | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 67 | 36.1 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 105 | 2.9 | 1.2 | |
| Trevor Ariza | Rockets | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 35.7 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 103 | 3.9 | 1.3 | |||
| 15 | Patrick Beverley | Rockets | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 30.8 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 106 | 1.8 | 0.3 | |||
| DeMarre Carroll | Hawks | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 31.3 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 104 | 2.8 | 0.5 | ||||
| Nerlens Noel | 76ers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 30.8 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 99 | 4.2 | 4.5 | ||||
| Chris Paul | Clippers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 82 | 34.8 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 105 | 3.2 | 0.0 | ||||
| Hassan Whiteside | Heat | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 23.8 | 10.0 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 97 | 2.4 | 0.7 | ||||
So Rudy is regarded as one of the best defenders, and that will help him going forward as he continues to gain respect from the refs, and occasionally he will be allowed to defend on guys driving by breaking the plane of vertical or being a little more physical. Our team needs the respect of the refs to get to the next level, and having Rudy -- the backbone of our defense -- get this type of respect is a step in the right direction. Yes, it was really a three person race, and Rudy at #5 is a distant #5, but he's still #5 this season. Next season I expect him to be in the Top 4 at least.
For those who wanted to know, these are the guys who voted for Rudy:
- 1st Place Votes: Jody Genessy, Deseret News; Scott Lauer, WFNZ-610 AM
- 2nd Place Votes: Brendan Brown, MSG Network; Jason Lloyd, Akron Beacon Journal; Marc Stein, ESPN.com; Ron Boone, ROOT Sports
- 3rd Place Votes: Aaron Falk, Salt Lake Tribune; Bill Simmons, Grantland; Bob Fitzgerald, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area; Bob Rathbun, Fox Sports South; Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com; David Steele, Fox Sports Florida; Hubie Brown, ESPN; Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel; Jim Paschke, Fox Sports Wisconsin; Kevin Ding, Bleacher Report; Steve Martin, Fox Sports Carolinas/Sport South; Tim Bontemps, New York Post
Thank you so much Rudy for all that you do, and congrats on being recognized around the league for your defensive prowess! Félicitations Monsieur Gobzilla!