Rudy Gobert has had an impressive NBA career from a personal accolades standpoint. Gobert is a four-time defensive player of the year and is the current reigning defensive player of the year, although he was not named a finalist for the award this year. He is also a three-time NBA all-star and has made four all-NBA teams over his 12-year career.
However, Gobert has not won an NBA championship to this point and has been criticized in the past for poor playoff performance. His play has even seen him off the floor in late-game situations, drawing criticism from his peers for letting his teams down in the postseason after his regular-season success.
At the Timberwolves’ game two loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, Gobert started the game for the Wolves, but would end up sitting the last 3:52 of the fourth quarter in favor of Naz Reid. DeMarcus Cousins took notice of this and criticized Gobert for not being on the floor despite his accolades.
DeMarcus Cousins Brutally Calls Out Rudy Gobert
When asked who Cousins felt was the most overrated player in the NBA, Cousins was quick to throw the title onto Gobert. “The guy we just had a 10-minute segment on about his defence. It’s Rudy, man, it’s pretty clear. You can’t be a four-time defensive player of the year and get played off the floor.”
Boogie Cousins says Rudy Gobert is the most overrated player in the NBA
“You can’t be a 4x DPOY and get played off the floor.”
(🎥 @RunItBackFDTV )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 23, 2025
As glittery as his defensive resume might look, it will probably forever be stained with what Luka Dončić did to Gobert in last year’s Western Conference finals. Dončić’s game-winner breaking Gobert’s defense might still be fresh in the latter’s mind, and on Tuesday, Dončić and the Lakers made sure that the memory is brought up.
Around 7 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Dončić got Gobert on a switch. The Slovenian guard then pulled him away from the basket, followed by a few ball fakes, crossovers, and jab steps, eventually leading to a basket. And guess the worst part? Dončić yelled, “Sub him out” to add insult to the injury. Austin Reaves also had to hurl an expletive-laden comment after scoring a basket over Gobert in the fourth quarter.
However, the criticism doesn’t originate from his performance on Tuesday, as Cousins also mentioned that the “same thing was happening” in the years he won his defensive player of the year awards. Rudy Gobert is tied with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most defensive player of the year awards all-time, so it is not a good look that his coaches still feel the team is better off in certain situations without him on the floor.
But here are some numbers that one might want to look at before completely discarding Gobert.
Does Rudy Gobert Really Deserve the Harsh Comments?
According to the NBA’s matchup data, Dončić and LeBron James together scored four points on 1-of-7 shooting against Gobert. In total, the Lakers secured 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting when defended by Gobert, who also had two steals.
Dončić drew a shooting foul on Gobert in the first quarter, and he also missed three shots while Gobert was defending him. Austin Reaves was 2 for 5 against Gobert, while James was 0 for 3. Does it look very bad? Not for Minnesota’s head coach Chris Finch, at least.
“Rudy’s a -2,” Finch said after the Wolves’ nine-point loss. “His impact on the floor remains pretty strong.” To add more it, the Timberwolves have accomplished what is widely regarded as a goal throughout the NBA by taking game one on the road vs. the Lakers. Now, they have an unofficial home court advantage as they can hypothetically win all their remaining home games and win the series.
READ: Luka Dončić Issues Strong Warning to Lakers Teammates Ahead of Game 3 vs. Timberwolves
But it remains a fact that Gobert’s box scores are terrible. Through two games in this series, he only has eight points and 12 rebounds so far, which looks like a shadow of what he was doing in the regular season.
That being said, the Timberwolves would much rather have their former all-star and reigning defensive player of the year be a factor in the NBA playoffs, as that’s what matters most. Time will tell if Gobert is ready to silence his doubters and step it up for his team when they need it most.