SAN ANTONIO — Minnesota's Rudy Gobert is under the microscope for what some consider a lackluster defensive performance against the Mavericks in the West Finals.
And ESPN's Kendrick Perkins has had enough from the current Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY).
During a segment on ESPN's First Take, Perkins unloaded on Gobert, calling him out for tarnishing the award and not being respected by his peers.
"I have done a disservice using my voting rights. Me voting this season for Rudy Gobert is an embarrassment for me for Defensive Player of the Year," he said. "He's the first player we see every single time in the postseason that becomes a defensive liability."
“He has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year award. He has. He's not respected by his peers.”
Perkins went on to spotlight how Gobert couldn't guard his man during the Denver series and noted he's only recorded minimal blocks in the series versus the Mavericks.
What magnifies Gobert is that he is a four-time DOPY winner and is seemingly not making any impact for Minnesota defensively.
Sure, it is a collective defensive approach, but he has been highly touted as the league's best defender and has not lived up to that against Dallas.
During the regular season, Gobert averaged 14.0 points on 66.1% shooting, a team-best 12.9 rebounds, and a team-high 2.13 blocks per contest. His 2.13 blocks were his most per game since 2020-21 (2.68).
He ranked second in the NBA in rebounding (12.9), second in field goal percentage (.661), second in offensive rebounds (3.8 rpg), fourth in defensive rebounds (9.2), sixth in blocks (2.13) and fifth in double-doubles (54).
Spurs fans (and other award voters) felt that San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama should have been named the DPOY.
Statistically, his defensive numbers were better than Gobert's. He led the league in blocks per game (3.6) and was the runner-up for the award.
He ranked fifth in defensive win shares (4.4) and eighth in rebounds. He also recorded the most games with at least five blocks (24) last season as a rookie.
Ultimately, it came down to team wins, and the Spurs only had 22 last season, while Minnesota had the third-best West record with 56 wins.
What do you think, Spurs fans? Did the voters get it wrong, and should they have picked Wemby for the DPOY? Let us know on X at KENS 5 and JeffGSpursKENS5.