NBA Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves players frustrated with Rudy Gobert’s turnover habits
Recent NBA rumors have indicated some discord between Minnesota Timberwolves players and Rudy Gobert. With the offseason acquisition falling short of expectations, some players have reportedly expressed their frustrations with the Frenchman.
The Timberwolves have been a wildly inconsistent team this season. Although they boasted an extremely talented roster at the start of the season, there have been some evident shortcomings in terms of cohesion on the floor.
Former Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert was made out to be the major culprit for the team's recent stretch of poor performances. After the team practically sold the farm to acquire the former DPOY in the offseason, Gobert hasn't lived up to expectations.
While he appears to be sound on the stats sheet, he has been a virtual non-factor on the floor. His rebounding numbers remain solid but his defensive impact, which is his calling card, has fallen off a cliff.
To add to the negativity of the situation, there appears to be an internal rift within the team regarding Gobert's performance. As per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, players on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster have grown increasingly frustrated with Rudy Gobert.
Windhorst mentioned this in a recent episode of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective". He said:
"They knew that Gobert had limitations,” Windhorst said. “They didn’t expect him to walk in and everything would be perfect. They knew it was going to take some time. But he has really frustrated the fans there and frustrated his teammates because earlier this season, he kept having turnovers.
"They would run plays, pick-and-rolls for him and the ball would go through his hands. I don’t have the number in front of me to tell you how many of those turnovers he had, but for the Wolves and their fans, it felt like 100. There was some frustration there and then his defense was good, but wasn’t game-changing like they thought."
Report: Wolves players have been frustrated with Rudy Gobert, particularly with his turnovers ahnfiredigital.com/nba/minnesota-…
As Windhorst mentioned, Gobert hasn't had the impact the Timberwolves faithful hoped he would. He has continued to be a solid rebounder. However, this hasn't resulted in many wins as Minnesota find themselves featuring a 17-21 record currently.
Once viewed as a shoo-in for the playoffs, the Timberwolves now find themselves battling for a spot in the Play-In tournament. As things take an unfortunate turn for the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have to come up with solutions sooner rather than later.
Read: Rudy Gobert strikes defiant tone after tough spell with Minnesota Timberwolves: "Average fan might not understand what I bring to the table"
Rudy Gobert isn't the primary cause for the Minnesota Timberwolves' decline
Rudy Gobert has been painted out to be the obvious scapegoat in this scenario. While the Frenchman certainly hasn't lived up to expectations, he isn't the main reason behind the Minnesota Timberwolves' decline.
Gobert is a work in progress and may never fully reach his potential in Minnesota. While his impact on the defensive end is visibly lesser, he remains a potent shot blocker and inside presence.
Additionally, the aforementioned issue of turnovers hasn't been as serious as fans and players have made it out to be. With an average of 1.7 turnovers a game, Gobert hasn't given up the ball as much as it seems.
However, his passive approach to offense and his lack of presence to counteract Karl-Anthony Towns' absence have certainly exacerbated the situation.
Although Minnesota ended their six-game losing streak with a win against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, things don't look too great. With Towns still out of the rotation, the Timberwolves will really need to rally together to build back some momentum if they hope to compete for a playoff spot.
Read: Rudy Gobert remains positive amid Minnesota Timberwolves struggles this season