How does Rudy Gobert fit on the Timberwolves roster?

Do the pieces fit together?

Okay, so a question that must be asked. Do the pieces fit together? Let’s take a look a the Timberwolves’ potential starting lineup.

The Timberwolves wanted to improve their defensive rim protection, and by adding Gobert, their frontcourt just skyrocketed to one of the best in the NBA. In the 2021-22 season, the Timberwolves allowed opponents to shoot with 66.9 percent accuracy in the paint last season.

That will improve dramatically.

Rudy Gobert had the best defensive rating in 2021-22, with a 103.2 rating. Offensively Gobert isn’t a traditional scorer in the paint but, he is a lob threat who can contribute off the assist. And to be fair, the Timberwolves wanted Gobert for his defense. They believe that allowing Karl-Anthony Towns to focus on his offensive game will unleash him into career-high offensive production.

Of course, the NBA is filled with critics. Gobert recently received criticism from ex-NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady on his offensive production.

But the Timberwolves know what they are getting, and what they are doing.

The Stifle Tower come to the Twin Cities

Gobert has his weakness, like not being able to score efficiently or guard smaller opponents. But believe it or not, the Gobert experiment could work. Karl-Anthony Towns is the league’s best shooting BIG, so a dominant front-court game is not out of the question.

That is especially so with star guard Anthony Edwards on the court. Between KAT and the Ant-man, the two are primed for fast-break action. While the Timberwolves were rumored to be moving on from guard D’Angelo Russell, that appears to be unlikely now. The Timberwolves appear to have more benefit from keeping the lengthy guard who has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and 8-foot-6 standing reach for defense on the perimeter.

The Timberwolves gave up a substantial amount of draft capital. Still, they retained promising young forward Jaden McDaniels, who usually guards the opponent’s best perimeter player and switches in the post.

With Gobert in the starting rotation, he can’t guard the perimeter, but with his wingspan, the Timberwolves can stretch the floor. His length allows him to jump passing lanes and protect the rim.

So will the Gobert experiment be successful? Only time will tell. One thing for sure is you can’t go wrong with having two twin towers in the front court.