Defensive Player of the Year voter makes shocking Gobert admission

Kendrick Perkins regrets his vote for Defensive Player of the Year this past season. In a recent appearance on ESPN, Perkins said the “biggest regret of his media career” was voting for Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year, claiming Gobert has “tarnished” the award—scathing words from an impactful member of the NBA media.

With more credibility than most, Perkins isn’t just some talking head. He may make more of an impact behind a microphone nowadays, but in his day, he was a feared big man, winning an NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. He knows what it takes to win, and for him to speak this negatively about Gobert certainly raises concerns.

Wembanyama's defensive impact was historic

Perkins’ rhetoric makes a Spurs fan wonder. If Gobert doesn’t have the respect of his peers, why did he get the votes to win the award? Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs' superhero, had an unbelievable defensive season in his first year in the NBA and arguably made more impact on that side of the ball than the offensive side. The slender man finished second in the voting, behind Gobert, and averaged 10.4 rebounds per game to go along with a league-leading (by a large margin) 3.6 blocks per game.

It's clear that Gobert has a reputation in the league, and for good reason. He’s been a force for a long time. But if what Perkins says is shared rhetoric, Gobert’s time is up. Like the rest of the league already knows, it's now Wemby’s time.