Rudy Gobert has two Defensive Player of the Year awards in his trophy case—but most NBA general managers still don’t think the Utah Jazz center is the league’s top overall defender.
In NBA.com’s annual anonymous survey, 45 percent of the league’s GMs tabbed Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard as the league’s best defender. Gobert finished second with 28 percent of the vote.
Gobert, no doubt, will take note of that.
The Stifle Tower, however, was the clear-cut choice by the general managers for the NBA’s top interior defender (93 percent). And the Jazz were the second most popular pick to be the league’s best defensive team this season.