We first thought he was only going to score on dunks. But Rudy Gobert ended up scoring “regularly”, without tormenting the Hornets circle. On his 10 shots scored in the evening, the Wolves pivot dunked… eight times, a personal best since he wore the Minnesota jersey.
This shows the level of domination from the inside, although announced as uncertain before the meeting, due to hip discomfort. But Chris Finch had explained earlier in the season that his training was not intended to rest, in other words to resort to “load management”. “ Our guys want to play “, he assured. This is what Rudy Gobert did.
“ This is one of the best matches I've ever seen from a guy who was insecure. It's incredible to see him play knowing he's in pain and playing injured. The way he did today, my hats off to him », can greet Karl-Anthony Towns, top scorer of the match with 28 points.
Confidence that grows
The latter was a factor in his teammate's great performance. On several occasions, “KAT” played the “pick-and-roll” with the Frenchman and sent him to the “alley-oop”. “ Sometimes they send it and I don't catch it, but they remain confident in sending it. It's nice, I appreciate it », Appreciates the pivot who took advantage of the absence of Anthony Edwards to obtain more balls. Especially from two players who like to serve it, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson.
“ A level of trust developed. It’s about understanding Rudy’s value. He sets so many screens, he creates so many opportunities in attack for his teammates: that's the way we can thank him, by giving him the ball when he's open. He made some really good decisions when he caught the ball “, greets Chris Finch, while Mike Conley appreciates the “ gravity » by Rudy Gobert, which allowed the Wolves to find space in a controlled end to the match.
While the Frenchman had not scored more than 17 points this season, he pulverized this total last night with his 26 points (10/12 on shots) and 12 rebounds, without forgetting 3 blocks. Because he once again showed himself to be intractable in defense, countering or dissuading the slightest enemy approach at the end of the match.
The return of the three pivots
His match was simply history. to be dominant, to be aggressive. My teammates did a good job finding me early in the game, I just tried to be a force when I have the ball, make the right call at the same time. So the credit goes to my teammates, I liked the way we raised the tone in defense in the last minutes. »
Another symbol of this inner strength, Chris Finch's choice to use Gobert, Towns and Naz Reid at the same time, as he has already experienced this season. “ Naz was a huge help on the bench. It definitely broke my heart to take him off the bench », Says the coach, whose replacement signed 23 points and 5 rebounds.
“ It's nice you know. We talk about them as interiors, but they are not interiors. They are unicorns. We are all capable of running, moving… They can shoot better than most guards too. So it's just a matter of communication, realizing who is on the ground, who is not. In this situation with three bigs, they will probably have to watch the shooters. It's a process and I believe it's also a unique weapon “, ends Gobert.
| Rudy Gobert | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | UTH | 45 | 10 | 48.6 | 0.0 | 49.2 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| 2014-15 | UTH | 82 | 26 | 60.4 | 0.0 | 62.3 | 3.2 | 6.2 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 8.4 |
| 2015-16 | UTH | 61 | 32 | 55.9 | 0.0 | 56.9 | 3.4 | 7.5 | 11.0 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 9.1 |
| 2016-17 | UTH | 81 | 34 | 66.1 | 0.0 | 65.3 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 12.8 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 14.0 |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 56 | 32 | 62.2 | 0.0 | 68.2 | 3.0 | 7.8 | 10.7 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 13.5 |
| 2018-19 | UTH | 81 | 32 | 66.9 | 0.0 | 63.6 | 3.8 | 9.0 | 12.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 15.9 |
| 2019-20 | UTH | 68 | 34 | 69.3 | 0.0 | 63.0 | 3.4 | 10.1 | 13.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 15.1 |
| 2020-21 | UTH | 71 | 31 | 67.5 | 0.0 | 62.3 | 3.4 | 10.1 | 13.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 14.3 |
| 2021-22 | UTH | 66 | 32 | 71.3 | 0.0 | 69.0 | 3.7 | 11.0 | 14.7 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 15.6 |
| 2022-23 | MIN | 70 | 31 | 65.9 | 0.0 | 64.4 | 3.3 | 8.3 | 11.6 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 13.4 |
| 2023-24 | MIN | 18 | 32 | 58.3 | 0.0 | 61.1 | 3.7 | 7.9 | 11.6 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 12.6 |
| Total | 699 | 30 | 65.2 | 0.0 | 63.8 | 3.3 | 8.3 | 11.7 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 12.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
