The Minnesota Timberwolves' second game of the season was a disappointing 128-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. While the problems of this game were multifaceted, defense was the clear flaw in my mind. Minnesota posted an abysmal 137.6 defensive rating (144.8 in non-garbage-time minutes). Luka Dončić dropped 49 points, and there was little resistance.
How does this tie into Rudy Gobert? I'm not going to sit here and solely blame Rudy; doing so would be beyond foolish. There's a lot of nuance to this "Rudy Gobert problem." Defensively, he got caught in no-man's land at times, and his drop-coverage style of defense hurt the team. Offensively, he was uninvolved, attempting just two field goals, both on putbacks. Through two games, he's averaging just six points on three field goal attempts.
This isn't some major indictment of Gobert; nuance is the key word to remember. Is Gobert limited offensively? Yes. Could the Wolves get him involved more? Also, yes. Likewise, while his defense occasionally hurts the team, he's still an all-time great defender.
Regardless, at 33, heading into the season, there were some concerns that Rudy would decline, and through two games, he's shown signs of decline.
Concerns with Gobert's defense
Again, Gobert was far from the only issue on defense during Friday's game, and frankly, nobody played that well. Moreover, he is still an all-time great rim protector and defender. Still, when your team performs this poorly on defense, the anchor of the team's defense deserves some blame, especially given how Gobert played.
As mentioned, Gobert's drop coverage was punished especially by Luka, who shot 71.4 percent against him. Deandre Ayton also shot 75 percent against Gobert on Friday night. At times, Gobert struggled to rotate out to the perimeter.
While he's still an elite rim protector, Gobert has shown signs of decline (even last year) since his Defensive Player of the Year season in 2023-24. His impact was far more noticeable against the Blazers than the Lakers. It's only two games, but Gobert has just one block, well below his career average of 2.1 blocks. At 33, things could only get worse.
Offense is the real concern with Rudy
Some of Gobert's defensive shortcomings (which are largely overstated) will be on display in certain matchups. Nevertheless, the offensive concerns are even more significant than the defensive concerns.
The Wolves openly discussed getting Gobert more touches during training camp, but so far, they have failed to do so. He has averaged 31.5 touches, a decline from his 43.3 last season. Sure, he has his limitations, but the Wolves can't have a starter totally uninvolved. A big part of this problem is Mike Conley taking on a lesser role in the rotation.
Some of the onus falls on Gobert, though; he should look to be more aggressive, especially during Friday's matchup against a Lakers squad that lacks rim protection. He is still an elite screener, but sometimes it feels like the Wolves are playing four-on-five with Gobert's lack of scoring. Again, this is both a team and Gobert issue.
Gobert's 7.1 field goals per game and 12 points last season were career lows since his third season. If these first two games are any indication, Gobert's numbers are set to plummet closer to his playoff averages last season.
Fully hitting the panic button on a Hall of Fame center after two games is foolish. However, there are real concerns for Gobert on both ends of the floor, and given his age, this situation is worth monitoring.