Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert again played like an All-Star in a narrow 102-98 win over the Chicago Bulls, but his strong performance so far this season has yet to manifest in the eyes of the fans, who left him out of the top 10 in the first return of the voting for this year's February festivities.

The Jazz center posted 17 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in the close victory, but said the fan snub was not reason for motivation. His teammate Donovan Mitchell called B.S. and thought otherwise:

“I guarantee you big fella saw it,” said Mitchell. “He sees everything.”

Gobert's struggles making the All-Star Game are well-storied. He broke down last season and cried in front of the media upon learning he had not made the team, claiming it's more than just the recognition, but a way to make his family proud:

Mitchell noted Gobert went out to prove a point in the Jazz's game against the Bulls, hoping to show he is indeed deserving of a spot among the top players of the Western Conference:

“He’s playing like a dominant force,” said Donovan Mitchell, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “When he’s decisive and just goes out there and tries to punish people on both ends of the floor, he turns into the All-Star that he is. Nights like this, and nights like Detroit, he did the same thing. He’s playing at a really high level right now.”

Defensive players hardly get the recognition they deserve in a game that has lately become a glorified exhibition of offensive talent. While a few other former winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award like Kawhi Leonard and Dwight Howard have been constant vote-getters, Gobert's skill set lends more to the end-of-season awards than players like the aforementioned, who could dominate at both ends.

Gobert is in the Ben Wallace realm of opportunity — a narrow one at that. Wallace was a four-time All-Star from 2003-06 as part of a legendary Detroit Pistons team while also capturing four DPOY awards from 2002-06.

While Wallace was rewarded for his defensive mastery, the league trend has largely washed over this principle and often sides with exciting offensive players rather than players who merit it like Rudy Gobert.