Former NBA star Kendrick Perkins, criticized Rudy Gobert's postseason performance, questioning his Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) wins and suggesting his peers do not respect him.
Perkins believes Gobert is not deserving of the DPOY award and becomes a defensive liability in the postseason.
Perkins regretted voting for Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year and questioned his ability to defend top NBA players, leading him to consider retiring from voting for individual awards.
Perkins' criticism of Gobert has been criticized as absurd, as he fails to consider advanced stats or analytics.
Gobert has been named to the All-Defensive First Team seven out of the last eight seasons and has won DPOY four times, but some of his peers still consider him overrated.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center faced criticism for his inability to defend against top players like Jokic and Doncic, with some questioning his decision to prioritize attending the birth of his first child over a playoff game.
Paul Pierce also criticized Gobert, questioning his defensive quality compared to other award winners.
Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas defended Gobert's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gobert responded to the criticism, stating that being present for his child's birth is a priority above basketball.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: ClutchPoints, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, Pinkvilla, New York Post, For The Win (USA Today), Jumper Brasil, Baller Alert, The Comeback, Fox Sports, Fox News, Total Pro Sports