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Ben Simmons points out the weaknesses in Rudy Gobert’s defense: “I don’t think he’s guarding one through five”

Tonoy Sengupta
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Ben Simmons points out the weaknesses in Rudy Gobert’s defensive prowess: “I don’t think he’s guarding one through fives”

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons weighs in on the debate for DPOY, provides some serious criticism on Rudy Gobert’s defense. 

The Philadelphia 76ers have been terrific so far this season, and a massive reason for that is Ben Simmons. The 24-year-old has continued to be an elite defender for the franchise during this season, even being in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.

His only real competition for the award this season is Jazz star Rudy Gobert. The big man has improved his rim protection and gotten better as an outside defender as well.

There has been a lot of talk about which of these two players will take home the trophy at the end of the regular season. And after hearing all the arguments, Ben Simmons has finally chosen to weigh in on the matter.

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Ben Simmons weighs in on the weaknesses of Rudy Gobert

Many believe Ben Simmons should be the clear frontrunner in the race for Defensive player of the year. And it seems the player himself just gave us the biggest reason for why that is. Speaking on Rudy Gobert’s defense, this is what he had to say.

“He’s a great defender. But I don’t think he’s guarding one through fives. You can’t tell him to go guard Kawhi (Leonard) or Paul (George) or guard a point guard. He’s not doing that on a daily basis.”

This criticism may seem harsh at first. But, when we look into it just that little bit more, these words make total sense. What Utah usually does on defense is to funnel the ballhandler into Gobert’s path. But this is a brand of defense that can be beaten without being a world-class offense.

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Rudy Gobert is undoubtedly a great defender and an incredible rim protector. However, he is seldom guarding the other team’s best player. On the other hand, Ben Simmons has made a name for himself by shutting down some of the best in the league.

It is a close race right now for sure. But this fact will definitely be a massive boost to Simmons’s chances to win it.

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

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Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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