A year ago, Rudy Gobert was whistled by the audience at the Target Center after losses at home against the Jazz and the Spurs. The Frenchman will have a very difficult season, marked by low stats, a lesser defensive impact, and unfortunately an ugly clash with Kyle Anderson.
A year later, this start to the season is the perfect opposite of last season since the Wolves are leading the Western Conference with Rudy Gobert who believes he has never played so well in his career.
Last night, against the Knicks, he almost had the perfect game with 16 points on 7 of 7 shots, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. “Almost” because he finished the game with an ugly 2 out of 7 on free throws, but the most important thing was the enthusiasm of the public when he snatched a rebound or covered up an opponent. He even indulged in hanging on to the rim after a dunk. The public loved it. Minus the referees who gave him a technical foul.
The public appreciates the dirty work
“It’s always nice to receive a little love” laughs the Frenchmanwho is now entitled to “Ruuuudyyyyyy” from local fans. “I’m trying to be the best Rudy I can be, and I’m going to continue. But it’s cool to see that the fans appreciate my efforts. I try to give 200% every night. I still missed a few free throws tonight, but whatever happens, I will always give 200%.”
This budding “love” between the Minneapolis public and Rudy Gobert delights Chris Finch, who has always defended the former Jazz pivot.
“I’m very happy that our fans are enjoying Rudy’s play this year. He plays at an All-Defensive Team level, he does everything, all the dirty work too. And I think that really resonates with the audience, and I’m really, really proud of that. Really happy” concludes the technician.
