This Minnesota Timberwolves team is set up as one of the best contenders in the Western Conference again in 2025-26. And in their pursuit of a championship, it will be important that the wolves consider the likely possibility that they have already seen the best version of Rudy Gobert on hardwood.
No, this does not mean that Minnesota should never have done the exchange with which he could start in 2022. They would absolutely repeat that movement a thousand times of a thousand, given the chance. But I just say that we have to consider the current state of whom Gobert is as a player.
Is he still one of the best defenders in basketball? Is he still one of the best interior defensive anchors in the competition and an absolute net more positive than not? The answer is yes to all those questions, and if you think it is not, I would advise you to reconsider your position.
What I should not do here is to take Rudy apart as a player. I just ask the question, do we think Gobert has a different level that he can reach at the age of 33? Do we think he still remains stable, or do we think he has already begun to refuse, even if it is only a bit? For me it seems that his best days are behind him.
Rudy Gobert probably started to fall
If you know me, you know that in recent years I have become one of the biggest defenders of Rudy Gobert’s game because of what I think are often unfair criticism that are levied against him. But here I don’t think I am wrong to point this out.
What do we think is the best version of Rudy Gobert according to the best estimate? You could really choose one of his DPOY seasons, but I will say it was probably his season from 2021. 2024 has of course been his best in a Timberwolves uniform, but that season 2020-21 with Utah where he finished in the top 10 for MVP votes, made the All-Star team and earned the all-defensive first team while winning Dpoy, is hard to top.
Rudy’s first season in Minnesota in 2022-23 was the first since his smoking year in which he did not earn praises throughout the season. Of course he bounced back the next season, but then 2024-25 was something of a Down campaign for him again. Gobert has placed his lowest scoring average since his third professional season, and his lowest rebound average since the 2017-18 season.
It is honest to say that Rudy is eventually trend when you look at the totality of what he has been able to do in the last three seasons since he reached the wolves. That speaks of what a high level he played earlier, but it also indicates that Minnesota has only so many years left where they can realistically rely on Gobert for more than 70 games a year as their starting center. Sooner or later the Timberwolves need an upgrade.
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