Rudy Gobert (2.16 m, 32 years old) beyond 20 points in a match, this has not happened since last April, Olympic Games included. The French pivot had difficulty finding his place in the major five, turned upside down by the departure of his partner Karl-Anthony Towns and the arrival of his replacement Julius Randle.
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His match last night could bode well for the future. He has in fact largely beaten his offensive record for the season, with 21 points at 9/11 on shots. A great scoring performance to which he added 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block in 32 minutes, for an overall plus/minus of +23, the best on his team. His performance in attack helped the Timberwolves achieve a good victory against the Chicago Bulls, in a match where the defenses were very permissive (119-135). He notably suffered on the other side of the field against the French-speaking pivot Nikola Vucevic and his 3-point shots (25 points at 11/15 on shots).
An anchor point of the attack
Gobert regained a central role in the Timberwolves offense tonight. A lot of actions went through him, whether through his screens, his passes or his finishes. He knew how to find the right move to score when he needed to, or get the ball out when it was impossible. It is also on this last point that he has progressed the most in attack in recent months. With an average of 2.0 assists at the start of the season, he has so far equaled his record in this area in his career. His coach Chris Finch recently explained that it was « un point central » of the Wolves’ work, on which they relied heavily. After the meeting, the French pivot notably described to local TV his relationship which is progressing in this area with the franchise player Anthony Edwards (33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists), who gave him two assists last night:
“We worked on our relationship with Edwards. Each year his playmaking has improved. And I think this year, he’s really able to see everything that’s happening on the floor. He passes the ball with confidence, whether it’s a lob or a bounce pass. Afterwards it’s up to me to free him from the defenders, and make myself available to finish the actions. »
With his 21 points, the four-time Defender of the Year also increased his points average, which was falling (11.8). The Timberwolves picked up their second straight victory, in a season truly kicked off by their excellent success against the reigning MVP’s Nuggets last weekend. They thus move up to sixth place in the West with 5 victories in 8 matches. They will be back-to-back next night hosting the Blazers at home. Rayan Rupert (1,99 m, 20 ans).
Rudy Gobert poster dunk, assisted by Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/CisaNJiBan
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) November 8, 2024
