Elation swept over Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle for surface-level and deeply rooted reasons.
The surface-level reasons: the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games in a first-round playoff matchup.
The deeply rooted reasons: Randle and Gobert showcased the best versions of themselves after spending most of their respective NBA careers eliciting more concerns about their shortcomings than praise about their value.
So in between hugs and high-fives with their teammates, Gobert embraced Randle and delivered a message that both would understand.
“You’ve gotten a lot of disrespect your whole career,” Gobert recalled telling Randle. “And so have I.”
Since then, Randle and Gobert have earned more respect. The Wolves will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals beginning with Game 1 on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), plenty of which stems from how well Randle and Gobert have played individually and together.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert grabs a rebound during a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center on May 6, 2025.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert grabs a rebound during a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center on May 6.
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Randle remains on pace to finish with postseason career-highs in points (23.9), shooting percentage (50.9%) and assists (5.9) per game. Through the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs, Gobert has fared sixth in defensive rating (101.8) and second in total rebound percentage (16.2). Randle has impressed the Wolves for his refined decision making both as a playmaker and shooter. Gobert has comforted the Wolves with his usual consistency as a rim protector and his improvement with defending perimeter players.
Because of those varying developments, the Wolves have noticed encouraging trends. A year after they made their first Western Conference finals appearance in 20 years because of their franchise cornerstone (Karl-Anthony Towns) and rising young star (Anthony Edwards), Edwards has increased his scoring, playmaking and leadership partly to offset Towns’ departure to the New York Knicks. The Wolves also have become more comfortable with how well Randle and Gobert have played following initial learning curves in their first season together.
“Julius is a very different player than what KAT was,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “So it took KAT and Rudy a little while to figure it out. We fully expected that it would take Julius and Rudy time. KAT was more of a straight-line player and more of a spot-up player. Julius is more of a zig-zag guy. He’s more of a drive-it guy. So, there’s some dynamics there.”
Those dynamics partly explained the league-wide criticism for the Wolves’ trading Towns for Randle before the 2024-25 season. Various NBA executives understood the Wolves dealt Towns partly amid concerns about how his four-year, $220.4 million contract would affect their salary cap and league-imposed restrictions. They also praised Minnesota for collecting a two-way wing (Donte DiVincenzo) and a future first-round pick in the deal. They didn’t believe, however, that Randle and Gobert could coexist.
In his 11-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers (2014-18), New Orleans Pelicans (2018-19) and New York Knicks (2019-24), Randle morphed from a No. 7 overall draft pick (2014) to a three-time All-Star because of his skills as a bruising playmaker, dependable finisher and unyielding competitor. But Randle also has sparked scrutiny for his erratic decision making, inconsistent outside shooting and frustration during adverse moments.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle operates with the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler defends during their playoff game at Target Center on May 14, 2025.
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle operates with the ball as Warriors forward Jimmy Butler defends during their playoff game at Target Center on May 14.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
In his 12-year NBA career with the Utah Jazz (2013-22) and Wolves (2022-present), Gobert evolved as the No. 27 overall pick (2013) to a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year because of his consistent rim protection, rebounding and team-oriented attitude. But he also has received criticism even among NBA stars for struggling against perimeter defenders, his limited offensive game and for not being trusted enough to play consistently in crunch time.
Blend those individual scouting reports together, and most NBA talent evaluators predicted the Randle-Gobert dynamic would become more disruptive than productive. They sensed Randle’s limited outside shooting and Gobert’s limited offensive game would reduce spacing for Randle to thrive as a playmaker. They anticipated that Gobert could not shield Randle’s defensive weaknesses as strongly as he could for Towns. They believed Randle’s defensive shortcomings would put too much pressure on Gobert to defend every position.
Nearly eight months later, Gobert and Randle have mostly disproven those concerns.
“We both want to win,” Gobert said. “We both work our a-- off every day to get to that goal that both neither of us have accomplished yet. We want to see each other win.”
Because of those genuine intentions, Wolves veteran guard Mike Conley observed that Randle and Gobert have “a great relationship.” After facing off as competitors for over a decade, the two publicly shared their admiration for each other’s games. Gobert respects Randle’s basketball IQ and versatility. Randle appreciates Gobert’s paint presence as a lob threat and rim protector. That foundation helped them blend their talents together.
“It’s been great, man. It’s just figuring out what we like to do on the court, use our strengths on the court and where Rudy likes the ball,” Randle said. “It’s just the trust, and all of those different things. We play off each other. Rudy does some things well on both ends of the floor. So I’m just continuing to feed him the positive reinforcement. When he’s down there, I’m trying to find a way to get him the ball.”
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert battles Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for rebounding position during their playoff game at Chase Center on May 12, 2025.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert battles Warriors forward Draymond Green for rebounding position during their playoff game at Chase Center on May 12.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Finch praised Randle for “making all the right plays” with finishing at the rim, creating his own shot and setting up teammates. But how he found that balance became a season-long process.
“He’s really been kind of toggling back and forth within himself. I think it’s something that he battled,” Finch said. “We at different times of the season gave him the message, ‘Hey we need you to score more. Hey, we need you to pass more.’ And sometimes it was the wrong message. We needed him to pass when we were telling him that we needed him to score. So that was a lot of our early season growth with him.”
After serving as a Pelicans assistant coach during Randle’s lone season there, Finch determined that he mostly wanted Randle to assume ball-handling duties as a “playmaking forward” because “that’s what he is at his best.” Both Finch and Randle’s teammates wanted him to feel comfortable to look for his shot, both because of his talent and because he could become a free agent this upcoming offseason.
Nonetheless, Finch said “it speaks volumes” that Randle averaged 13.6 shots per game this season, his lowest output since 2017-18, instead of treating this season as an audition for a bigger deal. Nothing epitomized that team approach more than when Randle posted nearly as many rebounds (seven) and assists (six) as points (eight) in a win against the Knicks on Jan. 17, which marked the first time Randle faced his former team since the trade.
“We weren’t an established product at that point in time. So he easily could have gone in there and made it a revenge game,” Finch said. “But he didn’t.”
When he missed 13 games in February to heal his right groin muscle, Randle watched with an observant eye for how he could blend his scoring and passing with Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. He also had extended Xs and Os conversations with Gobert.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle dunks during his team's playoff game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on May 10, 2025.
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle dunks during his team's playoff game against the Warriors at Chase Center on May 10.
David Gonzales-Imagn Images
“He’s been great month after month after month. For us to communicate with each other, it has helped to really do everything we can to make each other better,” Gobert said. “He still has room to grow. Great chemistry doesn’t happen in a few months. But I think Julius is way more comfortable with finding me and understanding how I can help him offensively, and vice versa with me for spacing for him, screening for him and even finding him on the kickouts. I think it’s been fun.”
Nothing has captured that fun more than the Wolves’ current playoff run.
Randle took advantage of the Lakers’ poor frontcourt depth by averaging 22.6 points on a 48.1% shooting clip along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the first round. Even with the Golden State Warriors featuring more size, Randle still bulldozed his way past Draymond Green en route to 25.2 points on a 53.3% clip along with 6.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Green had said during Randle’s rookie season that he would eventually eclipse him as an NBA player. For at least one series, Randle did.
“Our intentions are in the right place, and the game is just coming easy,” Randle said. “We just come out there and try to lead with my energy and effort and play hard and let everything else take care of itself.”
After ridiculing Gobert publicly about his defense in recent years, Green also praised Gobert on his podcast for his defensive performances in the Wolves’ five-game series against the Warriors. Gobert became just as effective against Golden State as against the Lakers. Not only did Gobert post 27 points and 24 rebounds in a decisive Game 5 win over the Lakers. Gobert penalized the Lakers for their frontcourt struggles and for Luka Dončić forcing too many matchups. A year after Dončić crossed up Gobert before making a step-back 3 with the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s Western Conference finals, Gobert held Dončić to a 7-for-19 clip.
“It feels great. But my vindication is not about beating a specific person,” Gobert said. “It’s about winning a championship. I got a little bit more work to do before that.”
Granted, Randle has passed the ball to Gobert only 2.9% of the time during the postseason. Randle mostly has targeted Edwards (28.3%), Conley (20.6%), DiVincenzo (15.8%) and McDaniels (14.0%). Gobert has averaged a career-low 8.9 points per game in the playoffs. But the value of the Randle-Gobert pairing hasn’t hinged on production. It hinges on how well they can create the proper spacing needed for a well-balanced offense and defense. As Randle noted, “It’s really about who we’re on the floor with and what the other guys are doing.”
Nonetheless, Randle’s presence alone has helped Gobert become a postseason highlight reel instead of a punchline.
“Rudy’s a winner at the highest level,” Finch said. “He loves winning. ... When you have this guy on your team, you understand what a professional and a winner is. He’s just such a competitor as well, and he doesn’t listen to the outside noise. We don’t listen to the outside noise.”
Nonetheless, Gobert could not help but address the outside noise to Randle after their dominant Game 5 performances against the Lakers. Then, he shared a rallying cry as they strive to win their first NBA championship together.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to write our own narrative,” Gobert said. “Winning does that.”
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor for Athlon Sports. Follow him onX,Blue Sky,Instagram,Facebook andThreads.