Rudy Gobert’s struggles on the offensive end have been talked about ad nauseam since the season began. At times, he’s looked unplayable on that end. Gobert often doesn't finish close to the rim; he doesn't catch passes cleanly, and his free-throw shooting has been abysmal.
While Gobert's subpar offense needs to be talked about, it has also completely overshadowed the four-time Defensive Player of the Year’s impact on the end that gets him paid.
The offensive woes haven’t affected Gobert’s defensive presence. That continued on Wednesday in the Minnesota Timberwolves' impressive win over the now 7-2 Houston Rockets.
Alperen Sengun didn’t make a field goal when Rudy Gobert was playing
The Rockets’ leading scorer is center Alperen Sengun. Wednesday’s box score shows the 24-year-old finished with a triple-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
However, also scored most of his points while Gobert was on the bench. In fact, Sengun didn’t even make a field goal when Gobert was on the floor. He made his five field goals in the 10 minutes he played, while Gobert didn’t.
The Timberwolves had an excellent 104.7 defensive rating with Gobert on the floor Wednesday. He also finished with four blocks.
With less than a minute left, Gobert’s strip of Sengun sealed the game—and it also led to a Gobert lob from LaMelo Ball. Of course, that connection just hasn't happened as often as expected, largely because of Gobert's troubles catching passes.
Gobert's excellent defensive performance against the Rockets was just a continuation of how he has fared on that end all season.
Timberwolves are again one of the better defensive teams
People often say Gobert is a top-10 defense unto himself, meaning that a team’s floor with him is the 10th-best defense. That was expected to be tested this year as the Timberwolves sacrificed some size around him in the offseason.
It’s only nine games into the season, but Minnesota is currently third in the NBA with a 105.6 defensive rating. The Detroit Pistons have a sizable early lead as the league's best, but the Wolves trail the Philadelphia 76ers by just 0.3 points per 100 possessions for second.
In the one game Gobert missed, Minnesota’s defensive rating was 121.2 (to be fair, it was against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs).
Even with the ugliness at times on offense, per Cleaning the Glass, Gobert still ranks in the 69th percentile, with the team 8.0 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor than without him. The team also gives up 17.2 points less per 100 possessions with him playing, which is good for the 95th percentile.
Now in his 14th season, Gobert has shown offensive slippage. It can’t be said that it has occurred on the defensive end, though.
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