Since Anthony Edwards went out with his injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been trying to scrape things together. LaMelo Ball has been leading the way, and the rest of the guys have been stepping up. But Rudy Gobert has been struggling. On Saturday night, the Wolves lost to the Chicago Bulls, and Gobert struggled. However, the loss itself didn’t matter. Gobert’s performance did.
The Bulls got hot. They shot a ridiculous 14-of-30 from beyond the arc. Tre Jones, Buddy Hield, and Patrick Williams all enjoyed huge nights off the bench, and Ball didn’t shoot well. Over the course of an 82-game season, tough games are going to happen. But Gobert’s offensive performance was rough. In fact, his struggles have reached a tipping point.
Gobert can’t keep playing this poorly on offense, no matter how incredible his defense has been this year (and it has been great).
Rudy Gobert's struggles have reached a tipping point
The Wolves ended up losing 117-106 on Saturday night. It was Chicago’s third win of the season. The Bulls are absolutely a team the Timberwolves should beat.
But those types of off nights are going to happen. The Wolves aren’t going to be on their A-game every night. And sometimes, an opposing team is going to get hot when they run cold.
Losing is one thing, but losing while Gobert continues to struggle is another. Ball didn’t have it on offense, and the Wolves needed everyone around him to bring their best. Gobert didn’t.
Jaden McDaniels, Bones Hyland, and Terrence Shannon Jr. all played pretty well, but Gobert didn’t. Jonathan Kuminga struggled to shoot the ball, but he’s been good this year. Gobert’s offensive struggles have been a focal point.
Against the Bulls, Gobert had 10 rebounds (four offensive boards), four assists, and a block. What about points? He shot 0-of-7 from the field. He had one point all night (1-of-2 from the free-throw line).
Heading into the game against Chicago, Gobert was shooting 51.6% from the field. That doesn’t sound that bad, but for a guy who only shoots around the rim, it’s pretty rough. He hasn’t shot below 65% from the field since 2015-16.
This is also the first time since 2015-16 that Gobert has averaged fewer than 10 points per game. It’s been an absolutely awful offensive season.
The Timberwolves need to figure out how to end Gobert’s offensive woes, and if they don’t, then maybe it’s time for them to start thinking up other options.
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