Rudy Gobert has taken off lately for the Minnesota Timberwolves and his teammates feel like they've seen a change in the 13 season veteran that has made even more dangerous on the court. 

Gobert has already racked up a series of accolades in his career. He has three All Star selection, seven All-NBA defensive first team selections and four Defensive Player of the Year awards, but it's clear that he's not done. 

On a team full of stars like Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, it would be hard to stand out. Despite that, Gobert has asserted himself as a dominant player yet again and has been on a surge on both ends of the court. Gobert is averaging 11.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this season as the Minnesota center and he's been a key part of their regular season success so far.

In the Timberwolves most recent win on Tuesday against the Miami Heat, Gobert netted 13 points and 16 rebounds, a massive 13 of those 16 being defensive boards. 

His shut down presence is the biggest reason that the Timberwolves have one of the best defenses in the NBA with a defensive rating of 111.9, the fourth-best in the league, but his mentality on offense has been the biggest change in Gobert.

Randle attributes Gobert's ferocity on the court to a new mindset that's given him a certain kind of calm that's allowed him to lock in when he's on the court. 

"There's just a peace and assuredness and headspace that Rudy's in. I fell like there's a difference from last year to this year," Randle said (via Timberwolves). "I can see how he is off the court and he is on the court, his approach. He's in attack mode. He's aggressive. I love seeing that out of him. He's assertive. Overall this year he's been amazing for us."

In his four seasons with the Timberwolves, Gobert's life has been somewhat easier with the stars around him, especially Edwards. It's the high-powered offense around him that's led Gobert to up his assist number to an average of 1.8 per game the last two seasons, not a massive number by any means but still somewhat high volume for a center. 

As transformative as Gobert's offense and playmaking have been, he's still renowned for his defense. Gobert's status as the premier defensive presence may have been in question recently, but he's been on a mission take back the DOPY award that he's gotten used to receiving over the course of his career. 

If you ask Randle, the choice for the award is clear.

"Defensive Player of the Year. Simple as that."