The Minnesota Timberwolves are heavily reliant on Rudy Gobert's physicality. He is one of the league's most dominant players and isn't changing his approach one bit.
On Sunday, Gobert explained this after the Timberwolves' 117-94 defeat to the Toronto Raptors.
“My role is to be who I am, be the best in the world at what I do, and then offensively, just continue to dominate,” Gobert said. “I dominate in my own way, running, my screening, my offensive rebounding, and of course, punishing teams on the basket.”
Gobert finished with 8 points and 13 rebounds as the Timberwolves are off to a 3-0 start. Unlike the prototypical big man expected to score in bunches inside, Gobert has proved points aren't the only way to be effective.
He can score, but he also crashes the boards on offense, sets hard moving screens, and excels in pick-and-roll situations. Additionally, Gobert can add spacing, forcing defenders to stay in the lane. That said, Gobert doesn't necessarily have traditional post-player skills when it comes to creating his own shot without assists or putbacks.
So far, Gobert is averaging 9.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 71.4% from the field.
Article Continues BelowGobert has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times (2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024). As the season progresses, the Timberwolves are expected to contend for the label of ‘superteam'. Gobert, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, and Jaden McDaniels make up a solid core.
The Timberwolves will play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland at 6:00 pm CST/7:00 pm EST.