Nearing his 14th NBA season, Rudy Gobert is still one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA. Last season, though, his 10.9 points per game represented his lowest scoring average in the last 10 years. Perhaps that can rise a bit with the addition of LaMelo Ball.
Unfortunately, this shaky offensive season was paired with him shooting just 52.6 percent from the free-throw line, the lowest mark since his rookie season.
If this trend continues, opposing teams could turn to a “Hack-a-Rudy" strategy. Besides making the game less enjoyable for fans, this could have serious basketball consequences for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Get back to over 60 percent please
Nobody has ever mistaken Gobert for Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, or Stephen Curry. For much of his career, though, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year at least wasn’t a horrendous free-throw shooter.
That changed last season, as Gobert made just 52.6 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. That was easily the lowest mark during his time in the NBA, other than his rookie year. In 10 of his other 11 years in the league, Gobert has made better than 60 percent.
Take away his most accurate month, March, and Gobert made just over half of his attempts (50.2 percent). It wasn’t any better during the Wolves’ 12 playoff games. Gobert made just 18 of 38 free-throw attempts (47.4 percent).
If Gobert’s lack of accuracy continues or even gets worse,some opposing head coaches may view him as a candidate to force onto the line. The Timberwolves could go through a stretch in which their high-octane offense makes it look easy to score regularly, and fouling Gobert is the only way to stop that from happening.
Opponents often tried the strategy with Mitchell Robinson, formerly of the New York Knicks. He is even worse than Gobert from the free-throw line, and it sometimes forced Knicks head coach Mike Brown to take him off the floor.
If teams break out of this strategy, the Wolves would have to cut back on Gobert's minutes. Given his immense importance to Minnesota's defense and the uncertainty of the Wolves' frontcourt, this would be a massive problem.
Plus, if you’ve ever watched a game in which the intentional-fouling strategy is used, you’re aware that it is not entertaining basketball. It slows the game to a halt. Teams bring in little-used players so they don’t have to worry about a key player getting into foul trouble.
The strategy has been used less often since it was popularized during Shaquille O’Neal’s heyday. From an entertainment and basketball standpoint, nobody wants to see it at all, so let’s hope Gobert makes enough of his free throws.
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