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Ben Simmons recently made comments that put Rudy Gobert's dominance as a defender into question. After hearing what Simmons had to say about his play on the defensive end, the Utah Jazz star fired back at the Sixers star and explained why he believes he's a better all-around defender.
“To me, it’s about impact. It’s about how much impact you can have on the court and how much impact we can have on your teammates. And at the end of the day, how much impact you can have on your team and on the other team,” Gobert said after the Jazz's Sunday practice, via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
The drama between Simmons and Gobert isn't something new, but the latest development in their feud began when Simmons spoke about the French big man's defensive prowess. While Gobert is viewed as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Simmons doesn't believe the Frenchman is as talented a defender as stats show due to him not guarding every position.
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On the other hand, Gobert is confident in his efforts on the defensive end, as he averages a career-high 2.8 blocks per game for the Jazz. Even though Gobert doesn't believe Simmons' assessment of his defense, he did admit that what he does on the defensive end isn't flashy.
“It’s not about being cute. It’s not about looking good. It’s not about narratives. It’s not about having a big name,” the Jazz All-Star continued. It’s about coming out every single night, trying to grind defensively and have that impact on the game.”
There are always going to be discussions on who the best defender in the NBA is. Ben Simmons is undoubtedly going to list himself as the best defender in the league when he's asked. As for Rudy Gobert, the veteran center didn't take kindly to Simmons overlooking his contributions as a defender.
