Rudy Gobert on Defensive Player of the Year: "I would love to win it. At the same time, it's not my vote. It's a media vote, and it's not really in my hands. I just hope the guy who's been the most impactful defender this year is going to win it. If it's fair, I'm going to be happy for whoever it is. "You have to study a lot of things. There's a lot of factors. I think guys like Draymond Green have had a tremendous season. I see a lot of guys like [Andre] Roberson who have had a fantastic defensive season, Patrick Beverley, Kawhi [Leonard], one of the best two-way players in the game. We all do it differently but impact the game defensively in a great way for our team. I mean, I think I should definitely be in the conversation. I don't want to be the guy that says, ‘You should definitely vote for me.' I want the people to check out the impact, check out the stats and make their own choice. I don't want to be the one that's going to make my own campaign. I want the people to make their own choice but make sure they study the case. Just check all the stats you need to check. Just don't vote because you feel like somebody is going to read or somebody is going to look. I think that would be not the smartest thing to do. Check the stats, check the impact and make your vote. If it's fair, it's fair. You've got to respect everybody's view." Gobert leads the NBA in blocked shots, defensive real-plus minus and defensive win shares for a Utah team that allows the fewest points and ranks third in defensive rating.