Through the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have taken the league by storm as they currently sit atop the Western Conference standings with an 11-4 record.
Despite having a young roster, the Timberwolves are all-in on a title as they made a blockbuster move last season by acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz.
Gobert’s first year in Minnesota went about as poorly as it could have as he looked like a shell of himself on both ends of the floor.
The league and its fans clowned the Timberwolves for giving up so much for a player who looked past his prime and wrote off the trade as a bust.
However, Gobert has made those critics look foolish this season as he’s playing up to his Defensive Player of the Year potential.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic explained what’s changed with Gobert via SiriusXM Radio.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a great start this season.@JonKrawczynski tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA Rudy Gobert has been a big reason for the early success. pic.twitter.com/SSGsMvey9o
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 25, 2023
Krawczynski noted that Gobert spent most of last season dealing with injuries and trying to play his way, a combination of factors that would definitely explain his poor performances.
However, by all accounts, Gobert is healthy and is much more explosive on the floor given that he can help and recover defensively and is rolling much harder to the rim for lob attempts and dunks.
With Gobert looking like an All-Star again, Minnesota has every reason to feel confident about its chances of advancing deep into the postseason.
The Timberwolves are playing some of the best basketball in the league right now and should be taken seriously.
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