Rudy Gobert is one of the most confusing players in the NBA. Truthfully, the gap between his defensive brilliance and offensive limitations is significant. However, the results are clear when the Minnesota Timberwolves get Gobert involved in the offense; they are a better team. Notably, Minnesota is 14-2 when Gobert scores 15-plus points and 10-0 in his 10 highest scoring games.
Yes, it was against the tanking Utah Jazz, but Wednesday was another reminder of what the Wolves' offense looks like when Gobert is involved. He scored 21 points en route to a 147-111 win. In some ways, Gobert feels like the barometer of the Wolves' ball movement and overall offensive flow.
Conversely, during the Wolves' recent 1-4 stretch, Gobert averaged just four field goals, which was paired with poor overall ball movement. During this run, it was clear that Gobert's teammates were hesitant to pass it to him as his poor hands often led to turnovers.
The Timberwolves must make it a point to get Rudy Gobert involved
After the game against the Jazz, Chris Finch spoke to the importance of getting Gobert involved, even if he drops catchable passes at times.
"They know not to look to me for sympathy if Rudy drops one of their passes, because sometimes he's going to. I tell them to keep throwing 'em. We have to. It pays off more than not... I'll take some of those turnovers if we're trying to make the right play," Finch said.
I think Finch's point is spot on. Listen, Rudy is far from a perfect or dynamic offensive player, and his mistakes can be frustrating. Plus, it's fair to wonder what his production looks like against top-end competition.
However, the alternative of not getting him involved is that opposing defenses will completely ignore him and force the Wolves to play four-on-five. Needless to say, that's not ideal, and in a playoff setting, that could prove to be costly.
If teams have success limiting Anthony Edwards, a pretty easy pathway would be to treat Rudy as a non-threat.
And if the Timberwolves don't pass to him when he's open, that only escalates the issue. In the playoffs, this could lead to Gobert being played off the court -- which would hurt the Wolves' defense.
Putting aside Gobert's poor hands and awkward offensive game, it's important to acknowledge he still has value on this side of the court.
The Wolves run plenty of get-action and dribble-handoff plays with him. He typically handles this responsibility pretty well. Furthermore, pick-and-rolls are a staple of any modern offense, and Gobert is often used as a roll man.
Gobert's ball security mistakes often present themselves when rolling. However, when he catches it, oftentimes this leads to an easy shot around the rim.
Impressively, Gobert's 70.5 field goal percentage leads the NBA. Thus, it's clear that the Wolves must trust Gobert and live with the lows of his occasional mistakes.
If you pass to just about any player, there's a risk of a missed shot or turnover, and just because Gobert's mistakes are louder doesn't mean he should be ignored. More often than not, this "risk" pays off, and at the very least, it keeps the defense honest.