The Minnesota Timberwolves embraced a bold direction this offseason by trading for LaMelo Ball and breaking up their frontcourt by shipping out Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Now, Rudy Gobert and Joan Beringer are the Wolves' only two centers. Jaden McDaniels and Trey Lyles are the Timberwolves' only true forwards.
There's certainly a lot of weight on Gobert's shoulders. At the same time, this offseason is undoubtedly a vote of confidence in Gobert from Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves front office.
Frankly, the Timberwolves' belief in Gobert is nothing new. In 2022, Tim Connelly's first big move as the Timberwolves' lead executive was trading four first-round picks and a pick swap for Gobert. Minnesota also gave up role players Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, along with the recently drafted Walker Kessler, to land Gobert. It was a hefty price to pay for Gobert, and it was one that was widely mocked.
The first year of the Gobert era didn't go as planned, as the Wolves finished as the No. 8 seed. Some people quickly declared the trade a disaster for Minnesota. Thankfully, this bold move soon paid off as the Wolves would reach back-to-back conference finals with Gobert anchoring the defense. He also won DPOY in the 2023-24 season. Â
By trading two key frontcourt players and not finding any starting-level replacements, the Timberwolves are once again showing us just how much they believe in Gobert.
The Timberwolves' offseason reflects a high level of confidence in Rudy Gobert
Gobert turned 34 this summer. Despite his age, he remained one of the best defenders in the league last season. Notably, Gobert finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and the Timberwolves' defense was 11.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass. Without a doubt, Gobert is one of the most impactful and valuable defenders in the league.
In the playoffs, Gobert proved once and for all that he's an elite one-on-one defender by shutting down Nikola Jokic.
The Timberwolves are betting that his stellar play can continue. While Gobert will have an increased amount of responsibilities due to the Wolves' lack of frontcourt size and rebounding, Connelly clearly believes that he can handle this. And frankly, given how important he already was to the Wolves' defense, it's easy to see why he'd believe this. The Wolves may no longer have frontcourt size alongside him, but Beringer's rim protection could help their defense stay afloat when he's off the court.
Given that they have no outright tradable firsts after the LaMelo trade, they believe this move can result in a championship and that Gobert can be a linchpin of their success.
Chris Finch has also openly discussed how he believes Ball can unlock more of Gobert on offense. Throughout his career, Gobert's limited offensive skill set has been heavily criticized. However, LaMelo is a world-class playmaker who can feed Gobert some easy looks around the rim. This, paired with the Timberwolves' improved spacing, could help Gobert.
It is a bit of a risk depending so much on a 34-year-old center, but Gobert hasn't shown many signs of decline, and this isn't the first time Minnesota has made a bold level of commitment to him. The 2022 trade already paid off for the Timberwolves, and it could age even better if Gobert's strong play continues as Connelly is banking on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google