Heading into the 2025-26 season, Rudy Gobert's pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Defensive Player of the Year seemed improbable. This was mainly due to Victor Wembanyama's dominance. However, Wemby has battled with injuries this season and is only able to miss three more games to be eligible for awards. As such, the DPOY race has become wide open.
Frankly, nobody has a better case to win the award than Gobert -- his importance to his team's defense is truly unmatched. After being outside of the top 10 a month ago, Gobert has shot up all the way to second in DPOY odds.