Rudy Gobert has been a large part of the turnaround for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year has given the Wolves a strong defensive identity since the team acquired him via trade in 2022.
There’s been some moments, though, particularly of late, where Gobert’s comments can be construed as taking a shot at his teammates. Most recently, he talked about Kyle Anderson before Slo Mo’s first game back with the team. Gobert spoke on how Anderson passes the ball to his teammates.
"I think just passing the ball. I'll be honest, I'll be straight up. Yeah, someone that is looking to pass the ball to his teammates."
Are Gobert’s recent comments a concern? Tim MacMahon of ESPN sure thinks so.
“Rudy, you guys are rolling. You don’t need to be whining about not touching the ball. Protect the rim, as you’ve done to get 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards. Run the floor, rebound, set screens. If you don’t touch the ball that much, who cares? You’re winning. This isn’t the time to be rocking the boat," MacMahon said on NBA Today.
As long as Gobert continues his prowess on defense, everything will be fine
Now, The Stifle Tower and Slo Mo both joined the Timberwolves in the 2022-23 season. They were teammates that year and the next, so Gobert is well-versed in Anderson’s game. I won’t get into it here, but it’s good to hear Rudy talk positively about Anderson, because I’m sure most fans' lasting image of the 2 of them involves a particular bench incident.
MacMahon and many others in the media (as well as some fans) have taken Gobert’s comments as a shot at his teammates, particularly Anthony Edwards. Perhaps, but Rudy was also laughing and smiling the whole time that he was saying this.
Last month, Gobert spoke on how star players should be held accountable by the coach if they are not giving the necessary effort on defense. Many saw that as him calling out Ant-Man and Julius Randle.
You can understand Rudy having some frustration. When you give that effort on the defensive end, you’d like to get rewarded from time to time on offense. Gobert had just two shots on Tuesday and attempted just one against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 26. While he’s leading the league in field goal percentage (would be the fourth time he has done so in his career), his 6.3 field goal attempts per game are his lowest since 2015-16.
Still, I wouldn’t quite say this is much ado about nothing, but I do think his comments before the Grizzlies game are a bit overblown. Some believed his accountability remarks could affect the team's culture. Instead, they have been forgotten by many as the Timberwolves are 7-2 since he made them.
Minnesota is currently on a four-game winning streak. MacMahon is right that with the team winning, they don’t need a distraction to potentially stop that momentum. Gobert’s comments seemed to be in good nature, though, so just as the Timberwolves continued to win after he talked about accountability, I expect the same now.