Rudy Gobert was a clear bright spot in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-105 Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He played fantastic defense on Nikola Jokic, "limiting him" to 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting, and helping force five turnovers -- while Jokic put up some nice numbers, but nothing was easy for him. Perhaps more significantly, Gobert was productive on offense, recording 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting.Â
Heading into this series, one of my biggest concerns was Gobert's offensive output. At the end of the regular season, his dropped passes were frequent, and his teammates often didn't trust him when he was open. Gobert made his presence felt on Saturday, though, and his two-way impact could undoubtedly be a blueprint for the Wolves to prevail in this series.Â
Jaden McDaniels said it best: "If he (Rudy) plays like that, we’re going to win (the series)."
Yes, the Wolves lost on Saturday, but if their offense didn't go cold in the third quarter, the result might very well have been different.
Gobert's two-way impact could tilt the series in the Timberwolves' favor
While the general ball movement was an area of improvement for Minnesota in Game 1, Rudy getting involved is a very encouraging sign. It's a difficult dilemma with Gobert's offense, as his drops can be frustrating and, in turn, I can understand why his teammates are hesitant to pass him the ball at times.
Nevertheless, playing four-on-five is a death sentence for the Wolves, and hitting the open man is simply the right play. Furthermore, the Timberwolves absolutely need Gobert to have any sort of competent defense. Luckily, Gobert gave his teammates plenty of reason to trust him, and it's fair to expect this positive trend to carry over.Â
Rudy did a great job of putting the ball on the floor and finishing through contact. Having an efficient rim scorer like Gobert gives the Wolves' offense a different wrinkle and makes them less predictable. Simply put, if Gobert plays like this, the Wolves are a dangerous team.Â
The Wolves' 14-3 regular season record when Gobert scored 15-plus points is evidence of this. Per Cleaning the Glass, Denver ranked 28th in opponent rim shooting accuracy in the regular season. As such, I think this game isn't simply a fluke for Rudy.Â
Gobert's defense another aspect of his game that could help tilt the series in Minnesota's favor. Jokic's 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists indicate that he had a great game. Make no mistake, though, Gobert made everything challenging for him, and largely forced him to be a playmaker, not a scorer. In the first half, Rudy's defense was especially amazing, as he limited Jokic to six points and four field goal attempts.
You will never shut down Jokic -- simply put he's too good. However, Gobert's stellar one-on-one defense seems to be the Timberwolves' best option to deal with him. Jokic had his way with just about everyone else on the Wolves.Â
Overall, Gobert making life difficult for Jokic and providing consistent offensive production could allow the Timberwolves to pull off an upset.
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