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“Been In That Top Echelon”: Utah Jazz Forward Picks Teammate As DPOY Over Giannis Antetokounmpo And Anthony Davis

Published 07/20/2020, 9:34 AM EDT

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In 2011, Dwight Howard became the first player to win three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards. But now Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has a chance to match this record. After winning the award in 2018 and 2019, Gobert is among the favorites to win the award again. His teammate Joe Ingles certainly believes Gobert has what it takes to win.

“I would hope so, I think for the last few years he’s obviously been in that top echelon,” Ingles said during a press conference. “Do I think he’s the best defender in the league? Absolutely.”

Gobert is averaging two blocks right now, and with that, he has averaged at least two blocks in six out of the seven seasons he has played in the NBA. His block numbers have gone down from last season, but his rebounds have gone up. This season he is averaging a career-high 13.7 rebounds per game.

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Can the Utah Jazz center beat Giannis and AD?

Gobert has not been as exceptional as compared to his previous two seasons. Last year, he was 2nd in Defensive Win Shares, 4th in Defensive Rating, and 5th in Defensive Box Plus/Minus. This season, he is 3rd, 9th, and 14th respectively. Compared to him, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is the favorite to win the award, is top of the charts in each of those categories.

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Giannis was the runner up last season, and this season he has improved his defense even more. He leads the league in defensive rebounds and is third overall in rebounds per game. With his phenomenal athleticism, he can not only chase down the quickest guards but also contest the strongest big men in the league.

The third player in the conversation is Anthony Davis. It is a surprise that Davis has not yet won the award, despite consistently playing elite defense. This season, he is the league leader in ‘stocks’ (steals + blocks) at 3.9 per game. Not only is he good at swatting away the ball but he can also make some crucial interceptions despite being a seven-footer, and is currently averaging 1.5 steals.

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Compared to the other two, Gobert doesn’t look like the favorite. However, playing at a DPOY level for multiple years constantly is a huge achievement and the Utah Jazz will be hoping that the Stifle Tower’s defense will lead them to a championship in the years to come.

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Written by:

Aaron Mathew

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.
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