Five things to know about Rudy Gobert

His three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards are tied for the second most in league history. Dikembe Mutumbo and Ben Wallace each won the award four times, while Gobert and Dwight Howard have won it three times.

Over nine NBA seasons, Gobert has averaged 12.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He is one of 10 players in league history to average over 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game for their career, according to Sports Reference. The others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Anthony Davis, Hassan Whiteside, Bill Walton and Elmore Smith.

While he's known for his defense, Gobert's ability to finish at the rim — he's 7-1 with a nearly 7-9 wingspan — makes him one of the most effective scorers in the NBA. He's led the league in field goal percentage three of the past four seasons, shooting 66.9% in 2018-2019, 67.5% in 2020-2021 and 71.3% last season. His career 65.3 field goal percentage is the second highest in NBA history, trailing DeAndre Jordan.

During his career in Utah, Gobert has never had a teammate average more than 10 rebounds per game, but his new teammate Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged more than 10 rebounds in six of his seven pro seasons. The only year Towns fell below the mark? Last season when he averaged 9.8. For an idea of the rebounding combo coming to the Wolves, Towns, since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015, ranks fifth in the league with an average of 11.3 rebounds per game. In that same time Gobert ranks second at 12.8.

He has some of the most enjoyable nicknames in the league. Gobert was born in France and came to the NBA after playing professionally for the Cholet Basket junior team. His rim protection was so fierce, and his body so long, that he quickly gained the moniker "The Stifle Tower." But since then he's added "Gobzilla" and "The French Rejection."