This Minnesota Timberwolves team is set up to be one of the top contenders in the Western Conference yet again in 2025-26. And in their pursuit of a championship, it's going to be important that the Wolves consider the likely possibility that they've already seen the best version of Rudy Gobert on the hardwood.
No, this isn't to say that Minnesota never should have made the trade for him to begin with back in 2022. They absolutely would repeat that move one thousand times out of one thousand given the opportunity. But I'm simply saying that we should be properly considering the current state of who Gobert is as a player.
Is he still one of the best defenders in basketball? Is he still one of the best interior defensive anchors in the league and an absolute net positive more often than not? The answer is yes to all those questions, and if you think it's not, I'd suggest you reconsider your position.
What I'm not here to do is pick apart Rudy as a player. I'm simply posing the question of, do we think Gobert has another level he can reach at 33 years old? Do we think he's still holding steady, or do we think he's already begun to decline, even if just a little? To me, it would seem his best days are behind him.
Rudy Gobert has likely started to decline
If you know me, you know I've become one of the biggest defenders of Rudy Gobert's game in recent years due to what I feel are often unfair criticisms that get levied against him. But here, I don't think I'm wrong to point this out.
In the best estimation we can make, what do we think was the best version of Rudy Gobert? You could really pick any of his DPOY seasons, but I'm going to say it was probably his 2021 season. 2024 has of course been his best in a Timberwolves uniform, but that 2020-21 season with Utah where he finished in the top 10 for MVP voting, made the All-Star team, and earned All-Defensive first team while winning DPOY is tough to top.
Rudy's first season in Minnesota in 2022-23 was the first since his rookie year where he didn't earn any accolades for the entire season. He of course bounced back the following season, but then 2024-25 was something of a down campaign for him yet again. Gobert posted his lowest scoring average since his third professional season, and his lowest rebounding average since the 2017-18 season.
It's fair to say that Rudy is ultimately trending downward when you look at the totality of what he's been able to do the last three seasons since joining the Wolves. That speaks to what a high level he was playing at before, but it also signals that Minnesota only has so many years left where they can realistically rely on Gobert for 70+ games per year as their starting center. Sooner or later, the Timberwolves are going to need an upgrade.