The much-talked-about decline of Rudy Gobert to begin the season was premature. The 33-year-old is still making a huge impact at both ends of the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves in what is his 13th season in the NBA.
Despite Minnesota taking the loss on Wednesday, Gobert’s fine play continued.
Gobert's scoring has increased of late
A father of a newborn baby girl, Gobert’s first game after becoming a two-time dad took place on Wednesday against the Grizzlies. Without Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley for the third straight outing, the Timberwolves fell at home by the score of 116-110. Don’t blame The Stifle Tower for the team’s just second loss in their last nine games, as he was the best player on the court for the Wolves.
Playing 35 minutes, Gobert finished his night with 16 points (6-8 shooting), 16 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. It was an active night on both the offensive and defensive ends for Gobert. Seven of his rebounds were on the offensive end, and the team outscored the Grizzlies by one with him on the court (minus-7 while Gobert was on the bench).
That continues an excellent stretch of basketball for the French big man. It was the fifth time in the last seven outings that Gobert has scored at least 15 points (two games of at least 24). In his first 20 games, he had only three games of 15-plus points. Gobert also has 42 rebounds over his last three games (including a Kings game he left early due to the birth of his daughter), with 16 coming on the offensive end.
On track to break an NBA record
Of course, Gobert is mostly known for his work on defense. Along with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace, he is just one of three players to win Defensive Player of the Year four times. The difference in Minnesota’s defensive rating when Gobert is on or off the court is stark. It is about 12 points lower with Gobert playing compared to when he is on the bench.
Gobert is never going to be a high-usage player on offense, but he is one of the better offensive rebounders and an excellent screener. Most of his shot attempts come right at the rim, but he’s super efficient. Gobert’s 74.6 percent field goal accuracy leads the NBA and would be the highest in league history (Mitchell Robinson is the current record holder at 74.2% in 2019-20).
The 7-foot-1 center is in the first year of a three-year extension (2027-28 is a player option).