How does Rudy Gobert fit on the Timberwolves roster?
By Travis Rose
How do they know what to expect?
Whenever a team suddenly adds a star to an existing roster, the first question that must be asked is: Can they all play cohesive basketball? After all, if the roster suddenly falls apart due to conflicting personalities, players in unsuitable roles, or a plan that seems to deflate at the moment it is deployed onto the basketball court are self-defeating.
A move with this much risk is not to be taken lightly. Thankfully, the Minnesota Timberwolves had an incredible insight into Rudy Gobert. For starters, Gobert was originally drafted by Tim Connelly and Denver Nuggets in 2013 but was subsequently traded to the Utah Jazz for the 46th overall pick and cash. From that point, he played his entire career with the Utah Jazz, averaging 12.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 611 regular-season games.
Hot. Timberwolves hire Jazz Dell Demps on the rebound for FO role. light
Timberwolves have an inside man
The three-time NBA All-Star comes to Minnesota still in his prime. The Frenchman averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game last season. But that still doesn’t explain the Timberwolves’ confidence over how well he will fit on this roster. So how can the Timberwolves be that confident in giving up that much?
They have an inside man. Dell Demps to be exact, was a Utah Jazz assistant head coach, a role he took on in 2020. He’s had a year to work with Rudy Gobert as a player, to come to know him as a person, and to know how to get the most out of him.
Demps is the balance in the Timberwolves front office. He is a ‘show-me’ mindset, an NBA executive who prefers veterans over draft picks. The Rudy Gobert has his fingerprints all over it and allows Connelly to exorcise any regrets he has developed over the years for trading away such an elite NBA player for a six-pack and a bag of chips.