For years, Rudy Gobert's perimeter defense and switchability have been mocked a lot, mostly because of a few viral lowlights. Truth be told, though, he's an elite isolation defender, and he has been since midway through his Utah Jazz days. Gobert holds up miraculously well on switches for someone of his size and frame.
Minnesota Timberwolves fans quickly realized that the narrative around his lack of switchability was simply a myth. With the Timberwolves trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid to land LaMelo Ball, they are leaning into a perimeter-centric identity.
The Wolves' roster changes put more pressure on Gobert's rim protection. However, we'll also see them switch more on defense, and Gobert will be central to this aspect of their success.
Gobert's elite switchability will be key to the Timberwolves' defensive success
I touched on the idea that Gobert is a highly switchable defender earlier, but in case you are skeptical, here's some data.
Gobert ranked in the 83rd percentile for perimeter isolation defense last season, per Basketball Index. And when you only include players who heavily defend in isolation, Gobert stands out even more. Of players who defended 200-plus isolations last season, Gobert's 0.77 points per iso ranked first, above names like Evan Mobley and Bam Adebayo, who are widely considered more switchable.
So yeah, it's safe to say this part of his game is vastly underrated in the general discourse.
This season will amplify Gobert's versatility, though. There is some risk with the Timberwolves leaning into a smaller lineup, including rebounding and defending against physical fours.
Regardless, they have the perfect personnel to run a switch-heavy scheme. Everyone in the rotation other than Bones Hyland has plus positional size, and they are filled with great athletes. Thus, the Timberwolves can switch up and down if needed. In a perimeter-centric league, this is a massive advantage, as other popular alternatives like drop coverage open up easy shots.
Make no mistake, though: none of this works without a switchable center like Gobert. And frankly, the rarity of a truly switchable center is why few teams can perfect schemes like this, especially since centers are often targeted on switches. Gobert's ability to guard the perimeter is a true game-changer in this regard. This, in tandem with the Timberwolves' plethora of talented perimeter defenders, can make this scheme work.
As impressive as Gobert's switchability is, his rim protection remains his bread and butter. If he's not called out to the perimeter on switches, Gobert will surely deter rim pressure and clean up his teammates' mistakes.
Gobert's combination of switchability and rim protection is why he is an all-time great defender. It's also crucial to what has made the Timberwolves' defense so elite in recent years, and in the context of this new-look roster, the switchability part of his game has never been more important.
Add us as a preferred source on Google