Victor Wembanyama is getting credit for something Rudy Gobert has done for years

Victor Wembanyama has a real chance of being the best defender the NBA has ever seen sooner than we think. His ability to cause "nevermind plays" is a special talent that few possess. However, Wembanyama isn't the only one in the league making these happen. In fact, there's another Frenchman in Minnesota who has been doing the same thing for the entirety of his career.

A nevermind is similar to a blocked shot; it just doesn't go on the stat sheet. It is essentially when the offensive player is driving to the basket looking to score, and they're somewhat open, but they don't take the shot due to an elite defender in their vicinity.

Rudy Gobert was the nevermind king before Wembanyama entered the league, but for whatever reason, the NBA is only deciding it's a huge deal now, but not during Rudy's DPOY reign.

Why didn't Rudy get marketed in the way that Wembanyama currently is?

Obviously, when we're talking about the offensive side of the ball between the two, Wembanyama is probably 50 times the better player, and maybe that's the reason. Even though the social media publicity is defense-oriented, maybe the league didn't like the idea of highlighting a guy who has no offensive "bag" or creativity.

Nevertheless, it's odd that the nevermind is something that the NBA won't stop bringing up when it comes to Wembanyama, but when Rudy was (and continues) doing that for the better half of a decade, the only mainstream attention he would get was when he got dunked on or if he was crossed over.

Rudy's greatness as a defender shouldn't go overlooked

Rudy Gobert has created a Hall of Fame career (whether you like it or not) by mastering his skills on both sides of the ball. Sure, he's not the most aesthetically pleasing guy to watch. But he's one of the greatest defenders the NBA has ever seen, and one of the best floor raisers of the decade.

He can singlehandedly transform a team that had zero defensive infrastructure and make them a top-five defense just because he's on the court.

Wemby has the new generation captivated by his alien-like skill, and it's well deserved. But the NBA community needs to put more respect on Gobert's name. Wembanyama didn't create the nevermind, he just made it more popular. But Rudy's been doing that for years, and he's still doing it.

Gobert is someone whose greatness probably won't be appreciated by the masses until he retires, but I'm here to salute the greatest defender I've watched with my own two eyes.