The Minnesota Timberwolves made a seismic roster shift this summer when they traded for LaMelo Ball. They made a big-swing deal with the Charlotte Hornets, completely changing the outlook of their team. But now, Rudy Gobert is more important than ever. He’s going to have to make up for all of Ball’s defensive deficiencies.
Gobert is one of the best defenders in the league. He has been for a long, long time, even winning a Defensive Player of the Year during his time in Minnesota. But now, he’s going to have one of the worst defenders he’s ever had to cover for playing alongside him. That’s going to be a very tall task for Gobert to have to deal with.
But if there’s anyone in the NBA who can help cover for Ball’s problems on the defensive end, it would be Gobert (outside of maybe only Victor Wembanyama).
Rudy Gobert will have to cover up for LaMelo Ball
For the last few years – the prime of Edwards’ career, during which he’s made two Western Conference finals – the Timberwolves have been defined by their defense.
They abandoned that complete identity when they traded for Ball, who has historically been one of the worst perimeter defenders in the league for a while now. There have been times when he hasn’t even looked like he’s trying.
He’s just not a reliable player on the defensive end of the court, and even though the Wolves have a ton of solid defenders, one weak link can make things a lot harder than they have to be.
That’s why having an elite back-line player like Gobert is important. He can help make up for a lot of the mistakes Ball is inevitably going to make on the defensive end.
If the Wolves didn’t have one of the best rim protectors in the league playing behind Ball, then their defense would be in a really bad way. Gobert is more important than ever in Minnesota.
That said, he’s going to have more defensive responsibilities than ever. More things to worry about. More mistakes to have to cover up for. That’s a tough job for anybody to have to take on.
Gobert will be essential to the Timberwolves’ success this upcoming season, largely because having Ball on the team is going to make life a lot harder for him.
And if the Wolves didn’t have Gobert, their defense may take a much bigger hit by adding Ball. But they do have Gobert. He’s going to be crucial.
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