Rudy Gobert is currently pursuing a historic fifth Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama's ability to reach the 65-game threshold is a clear hurdle standing in his way, and so is voter fatigue. Nevertheless, there's no denying Gobert is an elite defender and an indispensable part of the Minnesota Timberwolves' defensive success.
Sunday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers was a prime example of Gobert's importance. With The Stifle Tower sidelined due to a suspension, the Wolves gave up 135 points in a 27-point loss. Likewise, the Wolves posted a 133.7 defensive rating. Entering Sunday's game, Minnesota held an awful 120.8 DRTG with Gobert off the court. Additionally, per Cleaning the Glass, the Wolves are 12 points per 100 possessions better with Gobert on the court -- a number that ranks in the 99th percentile.
It was already obvious how important Gobert was to the Wolves' defense, and after Sunday's game, this became even more obvious. Award voters shouldn't ignore how dreadful the Wolves' defense has been without Gobert.
Gobert's importance to the Timberwolves' defense couldn't be clearer
Undoubtedly, Gobert is the Wolves' defensive system, and this game is the perfect reminder of that. Despite maintaining a top 10 overall defense, the Wolves have displayed some awful defensive habits throughout the season. These poor habits include ball watching, late rotations, short closeouts, lackluster ball containment, and over-gambling for steals. With Gobert, these issues hurt the team enough, but without him there to erase these mistakes (when possible) -- the Wolves looked truly hopeless.
Of course, not all of these problems would have been solved by Rudy, as many of them were due to poor perimeter defense. However, on the plays where shaky perimeter defense led to open shots at the rim, Gobert's presence was sorely missed.
Rookie center Joan Beringer getting into foul trouble early on (and eventually fouling out) certainly didn't help the Wolves' defense. Nor did the absence of Naz Reid, who isn't an elite rim protector by any means, but could have given the Wolves some extra size. Regarding Beringer specifically, this game is the perfect example that he's still a raw rookie. Wolves fans have (rightfully) been delighted by his flashes of brilliance in limited minutes. Yet the 19-year-old is still a work in progress overall.
Truthfully, it shouldn't be shocking that the Wolves struggled this much without Gobert, since the defense in the non-Rudy minutes has been disastrous all season long.
Still, with Rudy on the court, the Wolves have a 108.8 DRTG, which translates to the second-best defense in the league. As such, there may not be a single player more important to their defensive success and identity. If that's not someone who at the very least deserves strong DPOY consideration, then I don't know who is.