A sad fact about Rudy Gobert is that the peak of the skeepticism about him stemmed entirely from his days with the Utah Jazz. He's now entering his fourth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in that time, not only has he proved the skepticism wrong, but he's actively proving to be one of the most effective players in these playoffs.
Gobert proved how much of a difference maker he was when the Timberwolves eviscerated the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round last year. His efforts guided the Timberwolves to yet another Western Conference Finals appearance.
Okay, so he's proven his previous three seasons in Minnesota that he is not a liability, so what makes this season so different? It's different because he just did something that no one in the modern NBA can do: stop Nikola Jokic.
Jokic is a three-time MVP who has proven himself to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant NBA players of his era. Gobert stopped him in his tracks, or at least came the closest.
Even better is that while Denver may have been missing Aaron Gordon, Minnesota was missing Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ayo Dosunmu, thus invalidating the injury excuse.
It's a sad fact that Gobert never got this chance to clear his name as a playoff fraud as a Jazzman, but at least he cleared it with the Timberwolves and then some. It also further shows that what went down in Utah wasn't on his shoulders.
It's not like Gobert is a Jokic-type of a player who can drastically change the entire landscape of a game by himself, but he sure as hell has proven that he is not an anchor for his teams and can in fact swing a series with what he brings to the table.
The next round could elevate Gobert's image even higher
Now the Timberwolves have their work cut out for them with their upcoming matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. It's a fun matchup given that Gobert's assignment will be a fellow Frenchman in Victor Wembanyama, who many consider to be the future face of the NBA.
More than that, it's a chance for Gobert and the Timberwolves to continue their success over the last few years. If Gobert can force Jokic out of his comfort zone, it's possible that he could do the same for Wemby. If he does, it further builds his Hall of Fame resume (even though at this point, he's first ballot).
Because of all the Jazz alumni on the Timberwolves roster, it's easy to root for them. Especially since the Gobert trade has actually panned out pretty well for the Jazz. He also endeared himself so well to the team that fans have rooted for the best for him.
Gobert's tenure with the Jazz wasn't perfect, but it's been great to see him put all of the doubt about his abilities to sleep once and for all.
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