The Minnesota Timberwolves are picking up a full head of steam at the perfect time of year. Initially propelled by Julius Randle returning from injury, Minnesota has gone 14-2 over its past 16 games, defeating multiple postseason-bound teams in the process.
Of the developments that have enabled that continued success, none appear quite as significant as the resounding increase in production from Rudy Gobert.
Gobert has been metronomic in his production over the years, providing teams with guaranteed results in several areas of the game. Between 2016-17 and 2023-24, he averaged 14.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 offensive boards, 2.2 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game.
Gobert only had two seasons during which his production dipped below 14.0 points or 12.0 rebounds per game, and just one during which he tallied fewer than 2.0 blocks.
Unfortunately, the 2024-25 season proved challenging for the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He's averaging his fewest points per game since 2015-16, his lowest rebounding numbers since 2017-18, and is blocking the third-fewest shots per contest of his career thus far.
Thankfully, Gobert is bouncing back with a remarkable string of performances—games that seem to imply that he's reaching the level Minnesota has been hoping he one day would.
Rudy Gobert finally turning a corner on offense?
Minnesota is 5-1 over its past six games, defeating teams such as the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons along the way. During that time, Gobert has become a dominant force on both ends of the floor, producing in a way that even his strongest supporters are unaccustomed to seeing.
During that six-game run, Gobert is averaging 19.2 points, 17.2 rebounds, 6.3 offensive boards, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals on 72.5 percent shooting from the field.
Some of those numbers are likely to come back down to earth, but this is what it looks like when one of the most physically dominant players in NBA history asserts himself in the way critics have asked him to. Gobert is a Goliath of a human, standing at 7'1" and 258 pounds with an absurd 7'9" wingspan.
Perhaps he can't produce like this every time out, but there's every reason to believe that a player with those attributes can consistently dominate the game.
Gobert has proven himself defensively, controlling that end of the floor for the better part of the past decade. The asterisk for all praise, however, has often been the lackluster offensive play that's resulted in his limitations being exploited during the playoffs.
During this monster run, however, Gobert is imposing his will on the glass and teams have no answer for him—especially with Randle effectively clearing a path for the Frenchman to crash the boards.
If this trend of dominance continues, Gobert can erase the criticism and solidify his place as one of the best centers in NBA history. More applicably, he'll give the Timberwolves the inside presence they desperately need to make a run through the playoffs, especially with Randle taking on the role of primary facilitator.
Gobert is trending upward on the offensive end of the floor, but if the Timberwolves are going to rediscover the 2024 magic, they'll need him to prove his growth is sustainable.