The celebration for Victor Wembanyama’s 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award wasn’t as unanimous as the votes. His teammate from the French national team, Rudy Gobert, has fallen well out of the defensive debate since 2024, when he won his fourth title. And while he’s quiet, the Minnesota Timberwolves are feeling the sting. The 4x DPOY came in fourth in the 2025-26 race with 41 points. That’s not even close to runner-up Chet Holmgren’s 239 and 100 times behind Wemby’s perfect 500. The staggering difference is starting to look like a targeted slight to the Wolves. And those feelings spilled over right after Gobert anchored Minnesota’s defense to tie the series against the Denver Nuggets.

Following the Wolves’ Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, head coach Chris Finch didn’t mince words regarding his star center’s absence from the finalist list. While the league marveled at Wemby’s historic sweep, Finch stood up for Rudy Gobert, labeling the lack of recognition for the four-time winner as an insult.

“It’s a joke that he wasn’t a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year,” Finch said before the reporter even finished his sentence, clearly frustrated by the voting results. “Rudy just all by himself is usually a top-five defense in the league.”

He somewhat took the blame on himself and the other players for not helping him in a fifth DPOY campaign. “If we didn’t have some fouling issues, and we didn’t have some rebounding issues, our defense would easily be there. That’s not just on him, that’s on all of us. I thought it was incredibly disrespectful… we didn’t help him, we had mixed results coming down the stretch. If we were a little better… we feel we let Rudy down in that way.”

Finch still maintains that an “outstanding” professional like Gobert is unfairly disrespected. “It’s just laughable and small-minded and petty, all the crap that people decide to give Rudy.”

The Wolves’ recent defensive issues have come under the microscope. Yet under Rudy, they have one of the most consistent defensive ratings in the league. Gobert is especially a thorn in the Joker’s side all season.

Tonight, he nearly paralyzed Nikola Jokic, holding him down to 24 points. His shutout of the 3x MVP- particularly in the fourth quarter- limiting Jokic to just 2 points, made Gobert the X-Factor for the crucial win.

Even the Serbian superstar had to admit Gobert made it difficult to take shots. “He’s a really good defensive player. He’s forcing you to take tough shots. He can reach the ball from any kind of angle,” Jokic said after the game.

While he makes no mention of Wemby, Finch’s comments reflect a growing sentiment within the Timberwolves organization that Gobert has become a victim of voter fatigue. And perhaps similar disrespect is showing on the court.

Anthony Edwards reveals his role in Rudy Gobert’s surge

No longer were the two teams arguing about foul-baiting. Finch was not the only one calling out the lack of recognition for Rudy Gobert. Anthony Edwards, who tied Jamal Murray for a team-high 30 points, echoed his coach’s sentiments. But he also revealed his personal conversation with Gobert about the disrespect.

“Brother, we’re half the team when you’re on the bench. It’s just that simple,” Edwards said he told Gobert. “Everybody going to say this about Rudy, he’s this, he’s that. They don’t understand what he means to us when he’s on the floor. People don’t want to lay the ball up around him. People just don’t want to go at Rudy.”

Some of Rudy’s shutdown of Jokic in the fourth is credited to Ant. He claimed he challenged Gobert after the third quarter to take on The Joker one-on-one. Rudy easily took up Ant’s challenge and proved the four DPOYs were no fluke.

“Rudy got four Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, man. Like, he can guard. So, I think people got to start respecting him, you know? Put some respect on his name,” was Ant’s emphatic demand.

Rudy Gobert found himself on the outside, watching his young French teammate make history as the first unanimous DPOY, without a word. For his teammates, the exclusion is now a massive chip on their shoulders. This frustration has set the stage for the Timberwolves’ roster to prove that their defensive centerpiece can lead them farther than cynics think.