Timberwolves fans can't believe the media's latest slight against Rudy Gobert

On Sunday, the NBA announced the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year and other awards. Somewhat surprisingly, Rudy Gobert wasn't among the DPOY finalists, with Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Ausar Thompson all ahead of him.

Listen, Rudy was never going to win a record-breaking fifth DPOY over Wemby -- that's more than understandable. However, a top-three spot felt more than warranted given his elite defensive season and undeniable importance to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This snub left Wolves fans baffled and adds evidence to the idea that he is disrespected and undervalued by the NBA media.

Gobert is routinely poked fun at for some questionable lowlights on social media and even by some prominent members of the NBA media. Despite being a four-time DPOY winner, some people still undervalue Gobert's defense and falsely argue that he isn't switchable.

As such, it feels like he is disrespected by the media at times, despite his Hall-of-Fame résumé.

Rudy Gobert clearly should have been a DPOY finalist

I think there are some valid gripes with Gobert on offense, but there's no denying he's still one of the best defenders in the league.

If you've watched the Timberwolves this season, you would know that Gobert's defense remains incredibly impactful. He was the sole reason that Minnesota had the league's sixth-best defense (per Cleaning the Glass). To this end, the Wolves' defense was 11.8 points per 100 possessions better with Gobert on the court, a number that ranked in the 98th percentile.

With Gobert on the floor, the Wolves had what equates to the league's second-ranked defense, but with him off the floor, they had what equates to the 28th-ranked defense.

If that doesn't summarize his immense defensive value, I don't know what does.

Gobert's rim protection changes opposing players' mindsets when attacking the rim, and he covers up for his teammates' mistakes. Besides Wemby, I'd argue that there's no player more important to their individual teams' defense than Gobert.

Thompson is arguably the league's best on-ball stopper, and he's remarkably versatile, so I understand why he got the nod over Gobert.

While I wasn't shocked to see that Chet was a DPOY finalist over Gobert, I disagree with the voters' logic.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the league's best regular season defense, and while Holmgren played a sizable role in this success, being surrounded by elite defenders also helps a ton. Notably, the Thunder were 8.7 points per 100 possessions better with Holmgren on the court, an impressive number, but a clear notch below Gobert's on/off swing.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, Gobert is a better isolation defender than Chet. According to B-Ball Index, Gobert ranked in the 81st percentile for perimeter isolation defense, while Chet ranked in the 57th percentile.

Both in terms of individual brilliance and value to their team, Gobert was a better defender than Chet this season.

Hopefully, Gobert can use this snub as an extra source of motivation as the Wolves try to pull off a first-round upset against the Denver Nuggets.

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