![]() ![]() Additionally, Gobert is second on the team in Player Efficiency Rating at 20.2. Gobert leads the Timberwolves in all three categories, Offensive, Defensive, and Total Win Shares. Win Shares are defined by Basketball Reference as “an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player.” They can be separated into offensive and defensive Win Shares to better understand which end of the court a player contributes the most to winning. It may not always show in his box scores aside from rebounds, but a few advanced stats demonstrate the consistency with which Gobert contributes to winning. Like his former teammate, Gobert is unquestionably great because of the consistency with which he executes his role. Meanwhile, Mitchell, an unquestionably great player, continued his hot streak with a 38-point performance. In the game after, LeVert, a good but not great player, scored only 1 point. Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert both scored 41 points in the same game against the Boston Celtics. A slightly unfair but stark depiction of this concept happened on the Cleveland Cavaliers the other day. A good player becomes great when they can perform at a high level consistently. However, possibly the most important thing Gobert has done so far this season is be consistent. In fact, Gobert has grabbed just under one-third of the Wolves’ total rebounds this season ( 103 out of 343). He currently leads the league in boards per game at 14.7, and he has already beefed twice with 21 and 23 rebound performances. While other players certainly contribute to these low percentages when Gobert is off the court, they show that Rudy is doing his part to protect the areas he is responsible for in the 30+ minutes per game he plays.Īdditionally, Gobert has been a rebounding machine so far this season. ![]() At five to nine feet from the rim, opponents are shooting the sixth-worst percentage against the Wolves, at just 34%. Opponents are shooting a league-worst 54.4% within five feet of the rim against the Timberwolves, 1.7% worse than the next closest team. Gobert’s main job on defense is to prevent easy shots around the rim and in the paint, and opponents have not shot well inside of his zone of coverage. Once you zoom in, though, it becomes clear that Gobert is a major driving factor for this impressive number. Even more surprising at first glance? The Wolves rank third in opponent field goal percentage at 43%. Despite their visible flaws, the Timberwolves currently rank sixth in defensive rating at 107.5 per NBA.com. But the stats disagree with the eye test. Watching Minnesota’s defensive sloppiness in their first three losses may have led you to believe they are a flat-out bad defensive team. He may not be the flashiest player on the court because of his skill set, but Gobert has done everything the Wolves expected from him when they traded for him and more. While the knee-jerk reaction may be to think that the trade didn’t work because the team is struggling. Gobert has made a huge impact on the team. While growing pains are partly to blame, Chris Finch and some of the Wolves players also criticized the team’s lack of effort and conditioning early in the season.īut amidst all of the concerning early-season red flags, one thing has remained constant. They’ve also had difficulty defending opponents in transition, which has led to many easy buckets. The team has been slow to adjust to their new defensive scheme after adding Rudy Gobert and has looked a little lost learning their new assignments. The Wolves have looked similarly sludgy on defense. However, whenever panic ensues during a game, the team often reverts to sticky isolation basketball and ill-advised three-point attempts early in the shot clock in lieu of getting into the offense or making a pass first. The offense has had flashes of brilliance, with quick passes that have forced defenders to reckon with the massive amount of offensive talent coming from 4 out of 5 players in the starting lineup. ![]() Still, the way the Timberwolves have lost the games has been more worry-inducing than their record indicates. ![]() The San Antonio Spurs have also proved to be scrappy, going 5-2, including wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. They have also beaten several good teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies twice, the Denver Nuggets, and the New Orleans Pelicans. Led by breakout star Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz are surprisingly 6-2. 4-3 isn’t the worst outcome possible, especially considering two teams they’ve lost to have been better than everyone expected. The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially completed what was supposed to be the “ easy” start to their season with mediocre results at best. ![]()
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