From the moment it happened in the summer of 2022, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ acquisition of Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz looked like an all-time terrible trade. But as a result, the Timberwolves have the second-best record in the NBA, the best in the West, and the best defensive rating at 108 this season. And that’s largely due to Gobert’s impact in the middle, averaging 13.1 PPG, 12.2 RPG and 2.1 BPG with a defensive rating of 103.7, which is reminiscent of his number Utah Jazz and is a big improvement from last season’s career-worst 109.5. The Wolves have become an elite defensive team, going from No. 10 a year ago to No. 1 in defensive efficiency rankings. At 113.8, the Timberwolves’ defense last season was just below the league average (114.8).
It has helped that Gobert is healthy, having missed just one game this season while improving his shooting from last year to .634 from the field. He’s currently the league leader in defensive win shares at 2.9, as he tries to show he was worth the massive amount Minny gave up for him in terms of picks and players for the Utah. If you need a refresher, here’s what Danny Ainge snatched from the Wolves for three-time Defensive Player of the Year honors:
•Malik Beasley
•Patrick Beverley
• Léandro Bolmaro
• Walker Kessler (22nd pick in 2022 draft)
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• 2023 first round pick
• 2025 first round pick
• Choice exchange in 2026
• 2027 first round pick
• 2029 first round pick
Vandy, Beverley and Beasley are long gone. Bolmaro is not good. But Kessler is one of the best young players in the game with elite instincts for blocking shots and rebounding. He is already starting to fill the role of Gobert. But the picks, four unprotected firsts and a trade, are among the biggest overpayments in NBA history. Charles Barkley criticized Minnesota’s roster construction, particularly its choice to play two centers in Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns, especially since Gobert was 30 years old at the time of the trade.
But the trade seems less blatant than last year.
With the NBA moving toward an offense based on space and pace, placing too much emphasis on the three-ball game, it seemed odd that a team would mortgage its future for a traditional center with a limited offensive game . Gobert is still the same player. He didn’t add three balls or become a great passer like Nicola Jokic. But he finally learned how to play next to Towns. Both players played better in a staggered fashion last season, avoiding sharing the court instead of letting each play center in their respective minutes. Last season, they only played 29 games together due to various injuries. Fitness-wise things were so bad last year Anthony Edwards he said he couldn’t dunk the ball because the lane was so crowded. He’s back to attacking the ring with force this year, improving significantly as a mid-range shooter and playmaker.
Facing Stifle Tower remains a nightmare. Players are converting at less than 40% when guarded by Gobert in all zones, including over 500 attempts in the paint and over 150 elsewhere.
Forget the matchups, the Wolves are suffocating with length. Towns, a 7-foot spider with arms to the rafters, starts and finishes at four, while Gobert, a walking skyscraper, shuts down the paint like Fort Knox. The mobility and agility of Towns and Gobert make them dangerous on switches.
Gobert’s performance on the field lands him in the Defensive Player of the Year convo this season. His impact anchors the league’s stingiest defense — Minnesota is giving up a paltry 108.7 points per 100 possessions. After a difficult adaptation period, Gobert’s fullback is the best defense in the league with his second team. Need proof? Gobert is currently:
- Third in total rebounds
- Second in rebounds per game
- Sixth in blocks
- Seventh in field goal percentage
- First in defensive winning plays
In a recent interview with NBA.com, Gobert lamented the evolution of the central position. There was a time when only big men like Dirk Nowitzki and Andrea Bargani regularly shot threes. Now, more than half of the starting centers can shoot from the perimeter. It was another blow to the trade, as Minny squandered the farm to bring in someone who hadn’t yet evolved with three-point skill and struggled to defend the perimeter. But the eye test shows he’s gotten better at switching the perimeter. The main reason is that he is playing alongside the best defensive teammates of his career. No longer is he asked to clean up every bad spin, bad fence, and blown switch. Instead of Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanović, he has Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, three of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
This improvement in his teammates’ defensive abilities is the key to getting Gobert to work alongside Towns and in Minnesota. They proved their size was too big for the Oklahoma City Thunder in last year’s second Play-In game. If Gobert can stay healthy, there is no reason why this Wolves team can’t become one of the best defensive teams of all time. Landing Gobert was the foundation, building the right team was the plan. But a house is not a home until it has weathered the storm. The playoffs will be the ultimate test of their construction. The outcome will dictate Goibert’s legacy and the trade Minnesota made to get him.
