Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Taj Gibson is one of the best defenders in the NBA. When he was with the Chicago Bulls in his younger days, defense was the only reason he was getting into games because his defense was just so good.

Now a solid two-way player in the league, Taj Gibson is the starter in Minnesota, and he showed Monday night against the Sacramento Kings just how much he loves to play defense.

Gibson lost his shoe on the offensive end, but that didn't stop him from playing defense with his shoe versus the Kings.

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It's a good thing Taj Gibson didn't block the shot with his shoe. According to NBA rules, had Gibson blocked the shot with his shoe, he would have been assessed a technical foul and the shot for the Kings would have counted. Luckily for Gibson, Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns had his back and blocked the shot for him.

Taj Gibson scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds versus the Kings, as the Timberwolves won their 14th game of the season and snapped a four-game losing streak. Minnesota didn't have Gibson in their previous game, as Gibson was dealing with a family death. Gibson showed how valuable he is to the team on Monday.