The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award has been dominated by Rudy Gobert in recent memory. Gobert has won the DPOY award in three of the last six seasons while he was with the Utah Jazz. Now the anchor of the Minnesota Timberwolves' top-rated defense, the French big man once again finds himself as the favorite for this accolade.

The Timberwolves picked up a 118-111 victory at home over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Now 21-6 on the season, tied for the best record in the league, Minnesota ranks first in defensive rating and first in opponent's points per game. Gobert has been at the center of this team's defensive success, no pun intended, and he has made it clear that winning a fourth Defensive Player of the Year award would cement his status as the best defensive player in the world.

“It would be a blessing. Every day, I wake up to be the best defensive player on the planet. That's who I am, that's who I'm going to be,” Gobert said on Thursday night, via ClutchPoints' Sheldon Wohlman. “Obviously, it's a team effort. I try to bring that energy to my team, my organization, and that doesn't happen overnight. It's about being resilient, it's about persistence, and there are a lot of ups and downs during a full NBA season. The award at the end of the season is a big reward of your dedication and work.”

Through 27 games this season, Gobert has averaged 2.3 blocks per game, sixth in the NBA, and he currently ranks first in both defensive win shares and total defensive rating. It is not a coincidence that the Timberwolves have found their identity on defense with Gobert putting together yet another stellar defensive year.

When Gobert won the Defensive Player of the Year award for a third time in 2021, he joined Dwight Howard, Ben Wallace, and one the greatest shot blocker of all-time in Dikembe Mutombo as the only players to have won the award at least three different times. Should the Timberwolves center win the award this season, he will tie Mutombo and Wallace for the most DPOY awards in league history.

As long as he can remain healthy and continue leading the Timberwolves' defensive efforts, Gobert will be well on his way to earning this award again. At that point, it will be time to start having conversations about if Gobert is one of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history.