On Tuesday night in Los Angeles, the Minnesota Timberwolves headed into Game 2 with high hopes. A hot shooting night in the series' opener on Saturday opened the door for the Wolves to take an unprecedented 2-0 lead against the Lakers.
But it was not to be so. LA's defense improved tremendously from the first time these two played in this series, and it took too long for Minnesota to catch up to their level of physicality. At the end of the night, it was one of the Lakers' most complete defensive efforts of the season, and one of the most dismal offensive outings for the Timberwolves.
Still, the Wolves have to be feeling good with a 1-1 split in Los Angeles, and the players said as much after the game. Even so, there were some aspects of Tuesday's loss that were a bit concerning. While Rudy Gobert did not have a terrible night, it also wasn't the strongest showing for the big man.
What we're going to do here is address one of Gobert's biggest failings in Game 2 before getting to the positives. For everyone who watched the game, it was painfully obvious that Rudy's offensive execution was all over the place.
There were multiple instances of him not being able to catch the ball, and he struggled making shots from close range as well. Not new developments for Gobert by any means, but still concerning trends nonetheless. His limitations in these areas are always going to be a hindrance to the Timberwolves' offense.
All Rudy Gobert isolation plays through 2 playoff games vs. Lakers.
— Mohamed (@mcfdraft) April 23, 2025
When guarded by Gobert in isolation, opposing scorers are shooting only 41.7% (5-12 FG) from the field, per @SynergySST.
Leave it to the TL to tell you he’s unplayable and is costing MN games #FactsOverAgendas pic.twitter.com/Ga5nivEkeN
While far from making him unplayable, Gobert's mistakes were still costly
At the same time, those that claim Rudy should not have been on the floor at all due to these mistakes may not have watched the entire game. Gobert actually had a solid game on the defensive side of things, holding his own very well when singled out and targeted by Luka Doncic and some of the other Lakers.
Social media has a certain way of blowing up plays with shock value and plastering them all over the internet, which can lead the more casual NBA fan to develop a perhaps inaccurate view of Gobert at times. If you formed your opinion of Rudy solely off of what House of Highlights posts, you would probably wonder how he even has a job.
But the truth is that Gobert was more than a positive defensively on Tuesday, as per the usual. In anchoring Minnesota's defense, he led them to a second-straight lockdown performance at that end of the floor. 94.5 points per game scored by LA in this series is a more than respectable achievement.
Unsurprisingly, Rudy's biggest flaws are not what some of the big national media outlets might show you. And although he remains the Timberwolves' biggest asset on defense, his offensive limitations are still very real and evident as well.