Rudy Gobert has reflected on his time with the Utah Jazz while talking about the good vibes of his current Minnesota Timberwolves' locker room. Gobert honestly said that he had never been a part of such a loving locker room, calling it a very rare thing to find in the modern NBA.
“We're overcoming adversity. I don't think it's something that started this year, it started last year. All we've been through individually and as a team, it made us more resilient and build that trust in one another. I’ve never been part of a group that understands each other, that cares about each other and wants to see each other shine. In this league, it’s not something that you find very often.”
Gobert spent nine seasons with the Utah Jazz, emerging as the league's best defensive center during this stint. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Utah and is expected to pick up his fourth this season with the Wolves, tied for most in history. Gobert averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks this season.
The French center did not get along with his Jazz co-star Donovan Mitchell, whose relationship went downhill after Gobert took COVID-19 to be a joke and became the player whose positive test forced the league to shut down.
The only other player alongside Gobert to be infected was Donovan Mitchell, which led to an awkward partnership for a couple of seasons after that until the Jazz traded both players away .
Rudy Gobert Has Taken His Time To Settle In
Gobert joined the Timberwolves in the offseason of 2022, being traded by the Utah Jazz for a haul of assets. The media mocked the Wolves for the deal due to Gobert's inflated salary, tough fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and Gobert's generally ineffective offensive game or perimeter defense.
As Gobert played through a back injury, the Wolves barely snuck into the 2023 Playoffs and lost 4-1 in the first round. Many declared the Wolves to have already lost the trade because of the failed season, but this year, they've come back with a vengeance. They already swept the first round and beat the Phoenix Suns, remaining undefeated in the Playoffs after picking up a Game 1 win over the Nuggets.
The Wolves are built to stop the defending champions and would be a near-guarantee to make the NBA Finals if they can beat the Nuggets. It'd be their first Finals appearance in franchise history.
They've been to only one Western Conference Finals in their entire franchise history, a feat that Anthony Edwards and Co. could replicate now, if not take it further. Beating the Nuggets over a 7-game series will not be easy, but the Wolves might bet the best-placed to pull this off.
Related: Draymond Green: "Rudy Gobert Is Actually Not Trash Anymore"
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