Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert speaks up on his reluctance to throw it down

After Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called out Rudy Gobert for his finesse plays during a combined 0-for-13 stretch, the starting center questioned his finishes as well. Amid a two-game skid, the Timberwolves lost Anthony Edwards to a knee injury that will keep him out for at least two months. As Minnesota will look to find success without their All-Star forward, many anticipate Gobert to step up offensively.

Instead, he finished with one point, four rebounds, and one steal in the Timberwolves' 119-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors. In addressing Finch's recent comments about finishing loud in the paint, Gobert agreed with the notion of dunking the ball more often, per Sports Illustrated Andrew Dukowitz.

“Sometimes I tell myself, ‘Why didn't I dunk that, too?' I guess it depends,” Gobert said. “I guess, most importantly, is to react, to be decisive. To be strong and to be decisive. If I'm going to dunk it, go dunk it. If they foul me and call it, it is how it is. But I gotta be more decisive and more balanced, more poised.”

Gobert is averaging 6.6 points and 12.2 rebounds across six games for the Timberwolves this season.

Timberwolves' Chris Finch calls out Rudy Gobert after 1-point performance

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch didn't hold back on his take on Rudy Gobert dunking the basketball. After the Timberwolves' five-point loss to the Warriors, he questioned Gobert's approach in the paint, per ClutchPoints' Jack Azoulay-Haron.

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“I don't see a lot of extension,” said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, when asked about the four-time defensive player of the year’s shooting struggles. “I see a lot of short arms, a lot of flips, a lot of like kind of finesse shots around there. I think he just needs, you know, more extension, more you know, more pat, more — just try to dunk more stuff, honestly. And, you know, trying to, he's trying to play off contact in the wrong way, you know, so, that's, to me, that's it.”

The Timberwolves will look to bounce back when they face the Spurs on Saturday.