NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Minnesota Timberwolves are struggling and that was to be expected when Karl Anthony-Towns went down for at least a month or more. But what fans were waiting for was for Rudy Gobert to emerge as more of an offensive and defensive force in his absence. Well, that hasn’t happened but it’s not all on the shoulders of Gobert. The players and coaches must shoulder some of that blame as well.
For his career, Gobert has never been known as a scorer. While with the Utah Jazz, Gobert’s highest scoring average per game came in 2019 when he averaged 15.9 points while shooting .669 percent from the floor. During that year, Gobert’s averaged 8.8 FGA and 6.4 FTA per. Looking at this season, Rudy Gobert is averaging 13.4 points while shooting .675 with 7.6 FGA and 4.8 FTAs. The attempts are there so why are they expecting more when he’s not getting more?
When the Timberwolves made that huge trade this offseason, it was more for defensive purposes than anything. But when Towns went down, the Wolves never changed their offensive approach. If anything, the offense became more focused on perimeter play. With the team going sub .500 in their last 10, the critics are coming out of the bushes and begging to speak their minds.
There are rumors there is tension between the players and Gobert. But how? The Minnesota Timberwolves had to know what they were getting when they made the trade. Rudy Gobert has never been an offensive force. He has made his bones in the NBA on the defensive end of the court. And while his numbers are down just a little, a major factor for that is his team.
The Timberwolves, even before Gobert were one of the worst defensive teams in the league. A team built on the success of perimeter play with no rim protectors has yet to buy in on the defensive end. On the season, the Timberwolves are ranked 19th in Points Allowed, whereas they ranked 24th last season in the same category.
Rudy Gobert Is Not The Lone Issue
One of the main reasons the finger is being pointed at Gobert is due to his Blocks per game and Turnovers. Last season, while with the Jazz, Gobert averaged 1.4 Blocks per game which puts that as his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2013. yes, he’s not the same defender he was but that’s also due to his teammates putting him in a bad position. On the turnover side of things, Gobert is averaging 1.7 TOs compared to the 1.8 he averaged last season.
Gobert is doing nothing different than he has for his entire career. Anthony Edwards, for all his offensive outbursts, is averaging 3.2 per game. D’Angelo Russell is right behind him with 3.1, and Anthony-Towns, before his injury is sitting 3rd with 2.7. In all fairness, out of their Big 4, Gobert is averaging the least amount of turnovers.
While he doesn’t have the ball in his hands as much as the others, it’s still about ball placement. Get the ball in his hands at the spots where he doesn’t have to force anything. This falls on the other playmakers as much as it does Gobert.
The Wolves are 25th in rebounding even with Gobert averaging 11.9 boards per game. Last season, Gobert averaged 14.7 and that’s the production the Wolves were expecting to get. There have been stretches this season where Gobert has played exceptionally well and others where he’s been a non-factor. There will be growing pains as the season is not even at its midway point yet. The Minnesota Timberwolves and their fans must be patient. Give this team time to become a unit.
