Rudy Gobert has been a controversial figure for nearly a decade. The narrative has been consistent since his rise to stardom in 2016-17, when he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. It usually focuses on the framing of yeah, but to start the argument for or against Gobert.
For example, suppose you tell a Gobert detractor that he ranked 17th among all NBA players who played at least 41 games and 20 minutes per game with a 107.6 defensive rating. That means his defensive rating was 3.2 points better than the Minnesota Timberwolves’ sixth-ranked defense (110.8).
You would likely get this response:
Yeah, but he can’t guard on the perimeter
However, Gobert was the primary matchup for guards who shot 3-pointers 150 times during the season, and he held them to an impressive 34.7%. For reference, Jaden McDaniels held guards to shooting 38.6% from 3. You can further drive home the point because Gobert only allowed opponents to shoot 31.9% against him from 3 when defending them, compared to McDaniels at 36.5%.
Gobert was a rock-solid perimeter defender last season.
Yeah, but he doesn’t rebound very well
Of all players who played 20 or more minutes in half the season, Gobert is 18th in the league for rebound percentage and 10th in offensive rebounding. Considering there are 60 starting bigs in the NBA (power forwards and centers), Gobert is among elite company. It’s reflective of an impactful player who understands his role.
Yeah, but his hands are not good
Gobert’s turnover ratio was a career low this past season (10.5). He had a career-high 1.43 assist-to-turnover ratio. All while his usage percentage dropped to 12.9%. That means Gobert could increase his assists even with fewer opportunities while decreasing his turnovers.
For reference, his turnover ratio was 0.2 points worse than Anthony Edwards‘ and 1.7 points better than Julius Randle‘s. While Gobert’s turnovers look ugly, it’s not a major shortcoming in his game.
Yeah, but he’ll brick the layup
Gobert had his third-best shooting season in terms of true shooting percentage (68.7%), which ranked fourth in the NBA among players who played 20 minutes per game and 40 games. He also posted his third-best free-throw shooting season (67.4%). Gobert is an elite offensive player at the rim, catching lobs and getting offensive rebounds.
When his team includes him in the offense, he can be productive.
Yeah, but he can’t play in the playoffs
At this point, you realize there is no satisfying people who don’t value Gobert. He has been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals as Minnesota’s starting center. Gobert has had crucial close-out games this past season against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, and his defensive rating and net rating vastly improved this year in the playoffs, going from a 107.6 defensive rating to a 103.8 and plus-6.7 net rating to a plus-8.0.
Gobert’s contract is risky
That’s not to say Gobert doesn’t have shortcomings in his game. His contract extension will pay him an average of $36.5 million each of the next three years, through his age-35 season. The contract is risky due to his age, and the new second-apron era makes roster-building harder due to his annual salary.
Gobert also needs an offense creator around him, meaning he’s not a shooting center who stretches the floor. Instead, Gobert thrives when he can patrol the paint and take advantage of lobs and offensive rebounds, which the Wolves have struggled to incorporate consistently throughout his tenure. That has sometimes caused a lot of crowding in the paint and limits the driving lanes for Edwards and other Wolves players.
Ultimately, Gobert is a controversial player. The eye test doesn’t always match the statistics, and his teammates must adjust to his unique play style. However, looking at last season, it would appear that he has a lot more to give to the Wolves, which may lead to more yeah, but arguments for at least one more season.