The Minnesota Timberwolves were barely able to get into the NBA playoffs this year. It took them to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in tournament play, but they still got the job done. However, the road gets more difficult from here. Not only will Minnesota be battling the top seed, the Denver Nuggets, but it may also be without one of its most important players for Game One. Center, Rudi Gobert, appeared on the injury report as questionable due to a nagging back injury. If Gobert misses the first game, the Timberwolves will miss his presence in a big way.
Questionable Rudy Gobert (running back) for Game One against the Denver Nuggets
Rudy Gobert’s influence on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Joubert has made a career of being one of the best tire defenders in the league. After all, he’s a three-time Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. Even if he doesn’t block shots, Joubert’s presence at the edge often bends cutters and causes offensive players to attack the edge. In turn, this allows the Timberwolves to force more perimeter shots that are a lower percentage of shots.
While the great duo of him and Karl-Anthony Towns might be a bit awkward in today’s modern NBA, he’s certainly succeeded with the Timberwolves this year’s times. Given that Minnesota will be battling the Denver Nuggets who arguably have the best center on Nikola Jokic’s team, Rudy Gobert will be a valuable piece in this series.
Joubert’s regular season numbers
Despite boasting a superstar trio of Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony Towns, and Rudy Goubert, the Timberwolves’ performance was sub-par by many people. They finished with a record of 42-40. However, Joubert still had a strong campaign. The French senior finished the regular season averaging 13.4 points, 1.4 blocks and 11.6 total rebounds per game.
Not to mention he also had an effective field goal percentage of 65.9 percent to go along with a real shooting percentage of 67.5 percent. The six-time NBA player has an overall player efficiency rating of 18.9, total defensive winning share of 3.5, and defensive rebounding percentage of 29.8 percent. Rudy Gobert may not win Defensive Player of the Year this year, however, his presence is still very important to a young Minnesota Timberwolves team.