In his first game with his brand new team, Rudy Gobert did all the right things. Pouring in 23 points and 16 rebounds on 66.7% shooting, Rudy was the star of the show on Wednesday night and proved why the Wolves gave up so much to get him.
But, in just a few days, Gobert will face a new challenge — and it’s one he has never experienced before.
Rudy Gobert Looks Ahead To His Matchup With The Utah Jazz
In a chat with the media this week, the 3x Defensive Player of the Year got real on his upcoming game against Utah, the team where it all started for Rudy, and explained why it’s going to be a little weird.
“I mean it’s gonna be, it’s definitely, gonna be weird. Those jerseys are a little different but still weird to play against someone with Utah on them. I mean, I see all the coaches on the sideline even though Quin is not there anymore. It’s still gonna be, yeah, it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be fun. And, you know, it’s all love for me. You know, I want to see those guys succeed and I’m sure they want to see me succeed, too. So it’s gonna be fun.”
Rudy Gobert faces his former team, the Utah Jazz, on Friday night: pic.twitter.com/6av8dlvw37
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 20, 2022
Going against your former team is always going to be weird, especially when you played on that team for nearly a decade.
In Utah, Gobert blossomed into a defensive juggernaut, and it’s how he made his living in the NBA. But after repeated failures in the playoffs, Gobert and the Jazz finally split last year, and he was traded to the Timberwolves to compete for a title, and they firmly believe they can do it.
“We were already in kind of the mindset to run it back with the pieces that we had,” said guard Jordan McLaughlin, now in his fourth season with the Timberwolves. “And then for that trade to happen, it was different for us.”
Spend some time watching the Wolves this fall and you will soon see they are convinced their massive offseason swing wasn’t just a home run, but a grand slam. They believe Gobert isn’t just a championship-level acquisition but that he provides an injection of rocket fuel to the rest of their team, particularly their other star players.
The Timberwolves are convinced their massive offseason swing wasn’t just a home run, but a grand slam.
Yesterday’s debut was just a taste of what’s to come for Minnesota. As a premier big man, and a force in the paint, Gobert’s impact will be felt in more ways than one.
And for a Minnesota team that was already on the edge of something special, this could be all they needed to get over the hump.
