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Rudy Gobert on His Way to Historic DPOY Win?
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- Rudy Gobert on His Way to Historic DPOY Win?
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been good this season , currently the 4-seed in the Western Conference, if the season ended today, 0.5 games back of Denver for the 3-seed.
With two-straight Western Conference Finals runs under their belt, the 2025-26 Wolves are trying to take that next step. To do that, 24-year-old Anthony Edwards will have to push the 37-year-old NBA organization to the NBA Finals for the first time in its history.
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If he can break the curse, it'd be the first a Minnesota team has tasted the NBA Finals since the Minneapolis Lakers were swept by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics in the Spring of 1959 . The "Lakers" would leave for the Los Angeles desert one season later .
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But the 2025-26 Minnesota Timberwolves are flawed. Edwards is playing the best basketball of his career, but there's not a lot of ball-handling help for him in the backcourt, which has proven a major problem vs good teams.
Another DPOY for MN Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert ?
So with the trade deadline less than a month away, Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has been working the phones hard. One player who isn't going anywhere? Rudy Gobert. Because without him, the Timberwolves wouldn't be able to stop anybody.
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In fact, independent Wolves beat reporter Dane Moore is pretty convinced Rudy Gobert is going to win his 5th NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award this season, despite Minnesota's serious issues on that end of the floor through 39 games this season.
Some long-winded thoughts on why I think Rudy Gobert is going to win Defensive Player of the Year w/ @KyleTheige
Trying to add some context to the numbers that will be used to argue for and against his candidacy. pic.twitter.com/jNzpmsycgF— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 10, 2026
"I don't think Rudy's going to change what he's doing defensively. I think the team as a whole is going to keep improving defensively. I mean, I think if you can get any plus money on Rudy right now, you should take it because I think Rudy is going to win Defensive Player of the Year."
The MN Timberwolves lost for the first time in five nights on Saturday, and it wasn't because of the offense, which put up 134 points. Their issue, yet again, was on defense, where the Wolves allowed 146 points to the home Cavaliers , ultimately falling by double-digits.
Not a single Minnesota starter finished with a positive (+/-) rating last night. Julius Randle was a -20, Jaden McDaniels a -17. Even Edwards finished with a -16 (+/-). Only Gobert — who blocked 3 shots and added a steal to his 8 point and 12 rebound box score — finished in the single digits, at -8. Donte DiVincenzo was a -11.
Both Moore and Kyle Theige outlined the impact that Gobert is having on the floor for the Timberwolves. It sags substantially when both Julius Randle and Naz Reid (28 minutes vs CLE) are on the court together.
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Deeper metrics tell story on Gobert's defense in 2025-26
Across 38 games this season, Gobert is averaging 11.3 points on a league-leading 72.5% field goal percentage . His 11.3 rebounds are a step up from last season, his 3.9 offensive rebounds per game are a career-best. He's still blocking 1.6 shots per game too.
Minnesota's own Chet Holmgren is the current betting favorite (-120) to win Defensive Player of the Year ( DraftKings ), but Gobert comes in second at +300. Oklahoma City is a better team on defense, which could help Holmgren eventually come out on top.
But a deeper look at the metrics make Rudy look better than ever on that side of the floor. That's why Moore is telling his listeners to get their plus-money in on Gobert for DPOY, while they can.
Rudy Gobert's updates on his monstrous defensive season: Minnesota is the 2nd defense w/ him, 30th w/o, teams are shooting -7.5% TS w/ him, -5.2% eFG% (97th percentile), grabbing -4.4% offensive rebounds (99th) and going way less to the FT line (-11.9 FT rate, 100th) pic.twitter.com/96rj7BcwdG
— Francesco Semprucci (@fra_sempru) January 4, 2026
Bam was quoted on Saturday saying "he cant f***ing guard me" of Gobert.
Bam Adebayo when defended by Rudy Gobert (last 2 games):
5-for-17 shooting
Gobert is holding opponents to 35.8%, playing like the DPOY.
Rudy's still that guy. pic.twitter.com/y9R6RhPlwV— Wolf Wise Statistics (@WolfWiseStats) January 7, 2026
Rudy Gobert the greatest defensive basketball player ever?
If Gobert indeed wins his 5th Defensive Player of the Year Award, it would be the most times any single NBA player has won that award, which would cement Rudy as THE greatest defensive basketball player ever, right?
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For now, Gobert — who is signed in Minnesota through 2027 — is currently tied with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo, who also won four Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
Wallace played until he was 37 and won his last DPOY Award at 31. Mutombo went until he was 42 , and won his last DPOY at 34. Both legendary big men are now in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gobert setting the record at 33 would be an incredible story. He is signed through 2027 with Minnesota, and this level of play is something the organization would love to continue signing up for.
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