When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert in early July, people had mixed views on the blockbuster trade. Some thought the Wolves would be contenders immediately because they had solved their need for rebounding and a defensive-minded big man to pair next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Other fans weren’t thrilled that Tim Connelly gave up five first-round draft picks and integral players like Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Regardless of your initial reaction, we can all agree that Gobert has been underperforming. With the haul that the Wolves gave up to acquire the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, fans expected to see much more of an impact from the big man. As a result, they are letting him hear it on social media.
Has Gobert been worth what Connelly gave up for him? Not yet. However, he has started to make an impact as he did in Utah recently. Thus, he continues to build confidence in his new uniform, which is crucial to this trade and fit working out long term. So, what needs to happen for Gobert to return to his All-Defensive, All-NBA self?
Have Confidence Around the Basket
Over his 7-year career, Gobert has garnered criticism because he’s 7’1” and does not have a reliable back-to-the-basket game. Despite not having the typical low-post presence that we see from other towering bigs like Joel Embiid or Jonas Valančiūnas, Gobert has still found a way to make an impact on offense – being one of the best pick-and-roll threats during his time in Utah.
Donovan Mitchell was one of Gobert’s primary pick-and-roll partners in Salt Lake City. In every respect, Mitchell is a shoot-first guard. Therefore, many people believed that the Jazz underutilized Gobert on offense, even though he averaged almost 15 points per game through Spida and Rudy’s five-year stint together.
Under Chris Finch’s more free-flowing offense, Gobert has been allowed to attack the rim at a much higher clip than he did in Utah. As a result, we have seen some less-than-ideal outcomes when Gobert tries to take someone similar in size off the bounce.
For Gobert to have the same offensive impact he did in Utah, he either needs to find an improved touch around the rim, or the Wolves must run lob sets off the PnR exclusively.
Coming off an improvement game vs. the Portland Trailblazers Wednesday (17 points on 6/10 from the floor), Gobert was looking to carry that momentum into the team’s next game vs. the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night.
Finishing with 25 points to go along with 21 rebounds on 11-for-15 (73%) from the floor, the Tower of Power had undoubtedly his best game thus far in a Timberwolves uniform.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the best Rudy yet,” said Gobert after the game. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work. My teammates are sticking with me. The coaching staff is sticking with me. And I know that it’s going to pay off. It’s a long season.”
Despite showing “improved touch” around the rim Friday night, Gobert was more efficient working off the PnR – primarily when D’Angelo Russell or Kyle Anderson were the ones finding him above the rim.
“A lot of guys have turnovers trying to throw me the ball earlier this season and every night,” said Gobert. “It’s going to happen here and there, but I really try to reward them too by finishing those plays and being in the right spot.”
It’s not rocket science: When Rudy’s teammates find him on the pick-and-roll instead of a situation where he has to put the ball on the deck, good things will happen for him and his team. That’s something Kyle Anderson has figured out more than anyone else.
Play Alongside Kyle Anderson
The offense isn’t flowing with Gobert on the floor the way Chris Finch and Co. would have liked to open the season. However, when SloMo is sharing the floor with Rudy, the offensive fit has looked leaps and bounds better than when the two aren’t on the court together.
During his time in Utah, Gobert played some of his best offensive basketball when he shared the floor with Joe Ingles. In many ways, Ingles and Anderson are similar players in terms of skill sets. They both stand at 6’9,” have what some call an old man’s game, and see the floor incredibly well.
“It’s pretty dope,” said Anderson when asked about his chemistry with Gobert. “I watched a lot of Joe Ingles highlights, how he was effective with him. Just his playmaking ability with Rudy the last few years, and just try to find Rudy on the roll or me on the float.”
On-court chemistry between Gobert and his teammates has been a work in progress, to say the least. Therefore, having someone like Anderson, who Gobert can count on, is huge. SloMo has been playing so well individually and with Rudy that I’d go as far as to say that Anderson should remain in the starting lineup when the Wolves become fully healthy again.
At the end of the day, though, Gobert will need to fit next to every one of his teammates. However, that will come with the amount of confidence he has in his game rising. Gobert knows how lethal he can be on offense, but Wolves fans don’t. Suppose Rudy can start trusting his offensive repertoire more and developing chemistry with all of Minnesota’s primary ball handlers. In that case, he should be able to start making himself look like he was indeed worth the heap that Tim Connelly gave up for him.
