The Minnesota Timberwolves managed to stay alive in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, the Wolves will now go on to host the Mava for Game 5 of the series. While Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have been doing their best to keep the team afloat, the same cannot be said for Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.
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Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins recently went on a rant regarding the contributions made by Rudy Gobert, both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor, drawing a reaction from Shaquille O’Neal as well.
“I have the biggest regret in my media career. Me voting this season for Rudy Gobert, okay, is an embarrassment for me, for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s the first player that we see every single time in the postseason that becomes a defensive liability.”
“When I look at Rudy, he has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year award. What is he doing right now? When you look at this series right now, do we realize that Rudy has three blocks in three games? He’s averaging one block per game. Unacceptable to say he’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.”
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Kendrick Perkins made a commendable argument for Rudy Gobert being a liability on the defensive end of the floor. As per StatMuse, Gobert has been averaging 1.1 blocks per game throughout the postseason.
As for the series against the Mavericks, his block average is simply 1.0 blocks per game. While his contributions on the offensive end are not even noticeable. Perkins’ rant even drew a reaction from Shaquille O’Neal and DeMarcus Cousins.
Shaq commented, “Dam Son,” whereas Cousins said, “Nerds ruined the game.”
Shaq has his fun with Perk's rant pic.twitter.com/asilmSc47M
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) May 29, 2024
For Shaq and Cousins to chime in as well, does say a lot about Rudy Gobert’s performance in the 2023-24 NBA playoffs.
Current and former stars going off on Rudy Gobert
Recently, former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins threw shade at Rudy Gobert and his impact on the defensive end of the floor. He pointed out how Gobert was on the bench during crunch-time situations for the Timberwolves.
“You can’t have a potential four-time DPOY that doesn’t finish games…If you’re the best defender on the best defensive team, you should never be off the floor…So, how do we keep awarding this guy, that can’t even stay on the floor in the playoffs?”
Even Shaquille O’Neal agreed with Cousins’ take and called Rudy Gobert an overrated defender on his podcast.
“You want to impress me? Hold Joker under 15 points. All that weakside shot blocking, that’s cool. But it’s not going to work against guys like me and Joker.”
When Draymond Green decided to give his two cents on Rudy Gobert and his defensive prowess, Shaquille O’Neal chimed in once again. Green had to say this about Gobert during the series against the Nuggets.
“Rudy Gobert went from unplayable in the playoffs, to playable these playoffs, to unplayable in the playoffs. The last three games, he’s been unplayable in the playoffs.”
And looking at the series against the Mavs, Gobert hasn’t improved much on defense. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a game away from being eliminated from the playoffs. So, it’ll be interesting to see which players step up to the occasion and help their team win it all.
