If you haven't heard recently, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers is really, really, REALLY invested in winning this year's Defensive Player of the Year award, particularly at the expense of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Simmons illustrated his latest case for taking the award over Gobert:
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Now, he does have a point with his take. Gobert is a 2x DPOY winner, and if not for Giannis Antetokounmpo, would have won it three times over according to most pundits. However, he does have his limitations as a true center. Simmons is a Swiss Army Knife defensively and is one of a few players that can reliably take on assignments at any position.
Gobert, meanwhile, is vulnerable to any perimeter scorers, and if Ben Simmons' 42 point performance against him is any indication, to drives with any sort of downhill momentum. Simmons, meanwhile, is uniquely big, fast, and strong, enabling him to cover any player in the NBA.
On the flip side, Gobert's counting and advanced stats are well beyond Simmons' this season. Simmons outpaces him in steals, but Gobert still remains the premier rim protector in the league by a huge margin. Outside of that, he also comfortably outpaces Simmons in defensive win shares (4.0 to 2.7). and defensive +/- (2.5 to 1.7).
The debate for this year's award will come down to what the voters will deem more important: stats or the ever-important eye test. Simmons looks more dynamic and can do more, but Gobert is so good at what he's best at that it outshines Simmons' versatility in terms of impact.
Both of their teams are also brilliant defensively, with Philadelphia (2nd) and Utah (4th) performing with top five defensive ratings.
Essentially, this debate is much closer than Simmons thinks. Whether or not he's crazy or arrogant is an argument for another time.
But the fact that he's talking trash at all is a good sign for him, and incredible news for Sixers fans, regardless of whether or not he wins the award.
Of course, this sort of attitude is exactly what the public expects to see from a Defensive Player of the Year. Defense is popularly noted as being unglamorous, and so players that win the award might not necessarily be the sexiest names in the NBA (re: Tony Allen). Most of the time, they will be stars and super athletic in their own right, but all DPOY winners share one thing:
They are absolute jerks on the basketball court.
Defense is all about belief and effort. That only comes with supreme confidence that whoever you're assigned to simply can't get past you. It isn't enough to ‘try' on the defensive end of the court. ‘Trying' won't be enough against a Steph Curry, LeBron James, Zion Williamson, or Kevin Durant.
This is why Ben Simmons' trash talk is amazing news for the Sixers, and a good sign he'll win the award. He has publicly declared to the rest of the NBA that he will simply not be moved, and good luck trying to do so yourself.
But it's not just about the DPOY either. In the same interview, Ben Simmons said the following about Gobert guarding him:
“And I had 42 [points], and apparently I’m not a scorer. I have a lot of respect for [Rudy], but at the same time, I think it’s mine this year.”
The thing is, he's not a scorer. He hasn't shown any proof of working on his jump shot, and has seemed complacent about testing it to the point of cowardice (0.2 three-pointers per game this season).
So, if the former number one pick and presumptive second star of the Sixers isn't going to make a stand in the scoring column, it's good to see him get fired up about something on the court that he can control.
Even if he doesn't win the DPOY, this little feud that Simmons is trying to brew with Gobert is great news. It means that he is locked in, highly motivated, and willing to get his hands dirty to win. And with that sort of conviction, it's hard to imagine him not earning this year's DPOY nod anyway.
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