France's motive for benching Gobert is troubling for multiple reasons

Rudy Gobert has done an excellent job of representing the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Paris Olympics. He has had several standout performances while playing for his home country, and he is a big reason the French national team is moving on to the semifinals of the Olympic knockout stage.

But in Team France's 82-73 win over Canada on Tuesday, Timberwolves fans and those hoping for France to earn a gold medal got some bad news. Gobert was benched to begin the contest, with many wondering why the coaching staff would make such a decision.

As we would later find out, USA Today reporter Jeff Zillgitt reported that Gobert suffered an injury to his left ring finger during a team practice two days ago. This injury led to him only playing three minutes against Canada on Tuesday, logging just one rebound in the contest.

Rudy Gobert had an undisclosed injury

For one, this should make Wolves fans everywhere wonder about Rudy's health for next season. Offseason injuries are never a good sign, even one as minor as a ring finger injury. There are still over two months left before the 2024-25 NBA season, so he will have plenty of time to recover in theory. But regardless, the question mark now lingers.

Additionally, it is worth wondering why this injury was not disclosed when it first occurred two days ago. Perhaps the team felt it was very minor and not worth mentioning until it got worse. Or perhaps they did not want to let the cat out of the bag so as to tip off their opponents of their star player's health.

Regardless, this is anything but comforting for those in Minnesota to hear. Offseason competition like the Olympics are a great experience for the players and certainly a bucket list-type item for many, but there will also always be the increased risk of injury that comes with them.