The Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the NBA last summer by shipping off a king’s ransom for center Rudy Gobert, and many wondered if he could play well alongside star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
It hasn’t worked too well, at least so far, as the Timberwolves won just 42 games last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
The big criticism of Gobert is the fact that while he’s a great rebounder and shot-blocker, his offensive game is limited, but per Dane Moore, he says he has worked on a couple of new offensive moves during the offseason.
Rudy Gobert said he worked on hook shots, floaters and finishing through contact this offseason.
I asked about the 3 ball; he said “that’s just icing on the cake”
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) September 28, 2023
In the 2021-22 season, his last with the Utah Jazz, Gobert averaged 15.6 points, a league-high 14.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocked shots a game, but those numbers fell to 13.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game last year.
While with Utah, there were times when he seemed to almost be a liability in the playoffs because of his lack of an outside shot or mid-range game.
The Timberwolves definitely have talent, as Towns is one of the game’s better and more capable big men, while guard Anthony Edwards could be on the verge of true superstardom.
But sometimes fit is more important than talent, and it is debatable whether head coach Chris Finch will be able to get all the pieces to fit cohesively with each other.
The Western Conference is expected to be tougher this season, and a number of contenders and pretenders are expected to make a jump in the standings.
If Minnesota doesn’t figure something out, especially with Gobert, they could end up being on the outside looking in once the postseason starts.
