To 17-year veteran Eddie Johnson , Rudy Gobert's unofficial status as the NBA's most hated player is a real head-scratcher.
Guesting at SiriusXM NBA Radio, the Phoenix Suns analyst defended the Stifle Tower and explained why he couldn’t wrap his head around the constant criticism thrown at the Wolves center.
“This is something that Rudy Gobert has to address because, obviously, his demeanor on the court, maybe he is saying stuff to players that we are not privy to hear, and maybe that’s part of it? I don’t know, but the vitriol against this man, it baffles me,” Johnson expressed . “This is one of the most baffling situations I think I have seen in the league to this point.”
A defensive marvel
Gobert is one of only three players to hold four Defensive Player of the Year Awards. The other two are Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo. For Johnson, that achievement is worth celebrating, not criticizing.
“When you got a guy that’s a defensive marvel, a freak of nature, who can get out on the floor, who can bother you, who can get up on your shots. All of these things he can do, yet people nitpick on the things that he can’t do at a high level,” the 1989 Sixth Man of the Year added.
It’s a breath of fresh air hearing someone defend Gobert for once. After all, the French Rejection averaged almost 12 rebounds and slightly over two swats a game for his career. Those are all-time great numbers.
Nevertheless, the 2013 first-round pick is, bar none, one of the most disliked players, regardless of era. One of the Frenchman’s staunchest critics is Shaquille O’Neal, who recently claimed Rudy was the “ worst player of all time .” Former Pistons guard Chauncey Billups refused to put the 7’1 center in the same sentence as Big Ben . As mentioned earlier, both had four DPOYs under their belts.
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Is the criticism justified?
Johnson hit the nail on the head by calling out people who criticized Gobert for his deficiencies. He is not a reliable low-post scorer, but many players, even All-Stars, have noticeable chinks on their armors. Shaq himself was a horrible free-throw shooter and couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn from 10 feet out. As with any other star, you must take the good with the bad.
However, the biggest argument against Gobert is about something other than his shallow bag of offensive tricks or rim-protecting abilities. It’s the fact that someone who’s supposed to be a four-time DPOY could be game-planned off the floor, especially when the stakes are high.
Billups observed that teams frequently put the three-time All-Star in pick-and-roll situations, forcing him to guard in space and taking advantage of his awkward footwork. More often than not, he’d be like a fish out of the water. It’s just ironic that someone who’s supposed to be the best defender couldn’t stay in crucial moments because he couldn’t play D.
Shaq may be out of line calling Gobert the WOAT, but some of the criticisms thrown his way are also valid. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but if Rudy wants the noise to disappear, he might need to.
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