Timberwolves fans launch passionate defense of Rudy Gobert’s performance on defense

Following the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 85-94 loss in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rudy Gobert was heavily criticized on social media. A Reddit post, in particular, went viral with the user berating Gobert for being “not good.”

The user claimed that the Frenchman was a liability on the offensive end and that his defensive abilities were overrated.

Several Timberwolves fans stood up for Gobert, disagreeing with u/Verbalary’s take.

“you’re a casual and you don’t know ball honestly,” a user wrote.

“He took us from one of the worst to one of the best defensive teams in the nba,” another praised Gobert for the team’s improvements on the defensive end.

“Rudy gobert is good. People pretending like he wasn’t one of the issues tonight are ridiculous though,” a fan commented.

“Wrote all that just to confess that you don’t know the game of basketball,” @Philelverumfan69 mocked the user.

“Sounds like you don’t know what help defense is,” @cayuts21 highlighted Gobert’s contributions beyond the stat sheet.

Gobert has been underwhelming on the offensive end, failing to average more than 16 ppg in any season across his 12-year career. However, he has made up for his offensive shortcomings with exceptional defense and impactful rebounding.

The European star has been one of the most lethal shot blockers in the league since joining the NBA in 2013. His towering presence in the paint makes it difficult for opponents to get open looks and often results in settling for a low-percentage shot.

Since the center joined Minnesota in 2022, the Wolves have emerged as one of the best defensive teams, finishing the 2023-24 regular season with the best DRTG (109). His Defensive Player of the Year performance was a key contributor to the team’s 3rd spot finish in the West, achieving the second-best record in franchise history.

Additionally, the 7-foot-1 player has directly impacted his team’s offense by creating several second-chance opportunities by grabbing 3.4 offensive rebounds per game across his career.

Rudy Gobert promises to be better defensively in Game 3

The Los Angeles Lakers clinched a comfortable win in Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chris Finch’s boys had a valiant effort in the fourth quarter. But their shabby job, particularly at guarding Doncic in the first half, cost them greatly.

Having played almost 21 minutes in the opening two quarters, the Slovenian superstar stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Rudy Gobert criticized himself for allowing Doncic to get open looks at the rim but vowed to do a better job in the remainder of the series.

“I thought we were just opening up way too much in the first quarter, especially myself. I just gave him a straight-line drive, which in basketball makes it hard. You give him too much of an advantage. So we just tried to guard him a little more naturally in the second half and try to force him into tougher shots,” Rudy Gobert told reporters during the postgame press conference.

Gobert has struggled to make an impact early in the series, averaging just 4 points, 6 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game over the first two contests. Still, the Wolves have managed to stay afloat with the series tied at one game apiece. If Rudy Gobert can elevate his performance for the remainder of the series, Minnesota’s chances of upsetting the third-seeded Lakers would significantly improve.