Who would have thought we’d end up here? When the Utah Jazz traded away Rudy Gobert in the summer of 2022, the belief was that despite his defensive excellence, his lack of shot-making was an issue that would hold the Utah Jazz back. Maybe Gobert would excel on a new team that didn’t need him to make shots.
Yet in Minnesota, issues arose with how Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were able, or unable as the case may be, to play together in the paint. Neither man was especially efficient at stretching the court, and it was even more apparent with Gobert and Towns in the lineup together.