Ben Simmons on Defensive Player of the Year battle with Rudy Gobert: ‘He’s not guarding everybody’

Even if you really don’t feel that he has the most effective situation to gain the award, you have to respect Ben Simmons’ honesty when it arrives to the 2020-21 Defensive Participant of the Calendar year race.

In a modern interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, the 76ers star was questioned no matter if he agreed with Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers’ comments about Simmons getting a “lock” for Defensive Participant of the Calendar year. Rivers argued that Simmons is exclusive in that he can cover each situation and “practically at situations swallows gamers.”

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Simmons advised Nichols that he agrees “a hundred %” with that sentiment and justifies to be topped the most effective defensive player in the league. He also threw in a dig at Jazz centre Rudy Gobert, a two-time Defensive Participant of the Calendar year who will likely be at the top rated of a lot of ballots when the votes are counted.

“I am one particular of all those guys who can guard one particular through five,” Simmons claimed. “Clearly, there’s a large amount of respect for Rudy. I know what he’s capable of. I know he’s great down there in the paint. But he’s not guarding all people, and that’s just what it is. He guarded me in Utah. I experienced 42. And evidently I’m not a scorer.

“So, it is what it is. But I have a large amount of respect for him at the similar time. I imagine it’s mine this calendar year.”

The Defensive Participant of the Calendar year discussion shouldn’t be boiled down to just versatility, but Simmons tends to make a honest position. Gobert is not practically as switchable as Simmons, and opposing groups have qualified him on the perimeter in the previous. However, as Simmons pointed out, Gobert is one particular of the most effective rim protectors in NBA heritage, and he is between the league leaders in several defensive groups. 

Both of those Simmons and Gobert are associates of top rated-five defensive models, and they are massive parts of why their groups have observed fantastic good results. This need to continue being a restricted struggle down the closing stretch of the common period, so the campaigning attempts may perhaps have only just begun.

You can view Nichols’ full interview with Simmons below. (The Defensive Participant of the Calendar year talk begins close to the four:15 mark.)