Was going to write up a summary but quite frankly Jon says a lot without saying much in here. The main points are that Gobert was not good this year and was exhausted from Euro basket and had a bad start to the season and that major improvement is needed next season
buchanbasanee
He needs to readjust his mindset both offensively and defensively, and there’s another level if he makes some very subtle adjustments in his mindset.
Defensively: I think he surrenders a lot shot attempts around the rim so that he doesn’t give up defensive rebounding position. With the team makeup, I think the inverse would make more sense and be more effective for the team. Go balls to the wall defending the rim. But it’s mandatory that KAT pick up the slack on the defensive glass. Should be more than doable – he’s been an elite defensive rebounder before.
This would be similar to the Memphis and Milwaukee dynamic. JJJ and Lopez go all out defending the rim, Adams and Giannis take care of the rebounds. The top 3 rim defenders are JJJ, Lopez, and Kessler. None of them are elite defensive rebounders. Rudy has chosen to be elite in defensive rebounding, and good in protecting the rim. Do the inverse.
Offensively: fuck all the time trying to get position to get the ball on offense. Be Steven Adams and Kevon Looney – grab every single offensive rebound out there. We saw how Memphis fell apart when Adams went out because they weren’t getting those extra chances. And Golden State doesn’t get past Sacramento without Looney. Those second chances is just like forcing a turnover. It can turn an average offense into a good one.
I think that’s what maximizes Rudy Gobert and turns him into a super valuable piece of the puzzle. Divert some defensive rebounding energy into rim defense, and divert the energy spent on offense trying to get offensive positioning to get the ball, into energy spent trying to get offensive rebounding position. A top 3 rim defender and offensive rebounder is irreplaceable value.
guydudebro
As one of the most skilled and gifted athletes of all time, I really wonder what ARod was thinking (if at all) about going all-in for a past-his-physical-prime, offensively unskilled center like Rudy. Did they expect Rudy to still be a DPOY-caliber player in 2024 or 2025?
foye2smith
I get the pros and cons construct, but sometimes separating the two paints a bleaker picture when not provided in direct sequence. I kind of don’t care if the offense sucks so long as the defense is great or vice versa as long as it nets out positive for the Wolves.
Posted this the other day, but the main starting lineups with Rudy relatively worked. They may not have been pretty but they netted out positive:
**Try to Hit the Ground Running**
October 19 to November 29
Russell – Ant – McDaniels – Towns – Gobert
108.2 OFFRTG 104.2 DEFRTG 4.0 NETRTG
(16th out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
**KAT Injury**
November 30 to February 8
Russell – Ant – McDaniels – Anderson – Gobert
114.8 OFFRTG 100.9 DEFRTG 13.9 NETRTG
(5th out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
**Post Deadline**
February 9 to the end of the season
Conley – Ant – McDaniels – Gobert (4 man lineup info so it’s muddied between mostly Anderson, Prince, and KAT)
121.1 OFFRTG 112 DEF RTG 9.2 NETRTG
(3rd out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
VikingsandWolves
Twin towers 90s style basketball won’t work. Unless you get the whistle the Lakers do and are allowed to maul teams over and the refs don’t call defensive 3 seconds. Wolves were called for the most fouls last year, refs come up here with a stick up their ass like they got assigned to go to Siberia instead of Lala land or South Beach.
I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, KAT and Gobert lack the requisite skills to punish teams for playing small ball and footspeed(especially an aging Gobert) on defense and in transition to instill any confidence in me this can work. We got killed all year in transition with Gobert and KAT on the court, don’t see that changing.
On Dane Moores podcast about exit interviews they both concluded as such, it was never a good fit and the team has to ask themselves “Is the path not taken potentially better than the path we are currently on?” If Connelly wasn’t GM and made the trade, I think one of them is moved this summer. Delaying the inevitable.
6 Comments
Was going to write up a summary but quite frankly Jon says a lot without saying much in here. The main points are that Gobert was not good this year and was exhausted from Euro basket and had a bad start to the season and that major improvement is needed next season
He needs to readjust his mindset both offensively and defensively, and there’s another level if he makes some very subtle adjustments in his mindset.
Defensively: I think he surrenders a lot shot attempts around the rim so that he doesn’t give up defensive rebounding position. With the team makeup, I think the inverse would make more sense and be more effective for the team. Go balls to the wall defending the rim. But it’s mandatory that KAT pick up the slack on the defensive glass. Should be more than doable – he’s been an elite defensive rebounder before.
This would be similar to the Memphis and Milwaukee dynamic. JJJ and Lopez go all out defending the rim, Adams and Giannis take care of the rebounds. The top 3 rim defenders are JJJ, Lopez, and Kessler. None of them are elite defensive rebounders. Rudy has chosen to be elite in defensive rebounding, and good in protecting the rim. Do the inverse.
Offensively: fuck all the time trying to get position to get the ball on offense. Be Steven Adams and Kevon Looney – grab every single offensive rebound out there. We saw how Memphis fell apart when Adams went out because they weren’t getting those extra chances. And Golden State doesn’t get past Sacramento without Looney. Those second chances is just like forcing a turnover. It can turn an average offense into a good one.
I think that’s what maximizes Rudy Gobert and turns him into a super valuable piece of the puzzle. Divert some defensive rebounding energy into rim defense, and divert the energy spent on offense trying to get offensive positioning to get the ball, into energy spent trying to get offensive rebounding position. A top 3 rim defender and offensive rebounder is irreplaceable value.
As one of the most skilled and gifted athletes of all time, I really wonder what ARod was thinking (if at all) about going all-in for a past-his-physical-prime, offensively unskilled center like Rudy. Did they expect Rudy to still be a DPOY-caliber player in 2024 or 2025?
I get the pros and cons construct, but sometimes separating the two paints a bleaker picture when not provided in direct sequence. I kind of don’t care if the offense sucks so long as the defense is great or vice versa as long as it nets out positive for the Wolves.
Posted this the other day, but the main starting lineups with Rudy relatively worked. They may not have been pretty but they netted out positive:
**Try to Hit the Ground Running**
October 19 to November 29
Russell – Ant – McDaniels – Towns – Gobert
108.2 OFFRTG 104.2 DEFRTG 4.0 NETRTG
(16th out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
**KAT Injury**
November 30 to February 8
Russell – Ant – McDaniels – Anderson – Gobert
114.8 OFFRTG 100.9 DEFRTG 13.9 NETRTG
(5th out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
**Post Deadline**
February 9 to the end of the season
Conley – Ant – McDaniels – Gobert (4 man lineup info so it’s muddied between mostly Anderson, Prince, and KAT)
121.1 OFFRTG 112 DEF RTG 9.2 NETRTG
(3rd out of 30 of the top 30 lineups in the league used in that span)
Twin towers 90s style basketball won’t work. Unless you get the whistle the Lakers do and are allowed to maul teams over and the refs don’t call defensive 3 seconds. Wolves were called for the most fouls last year, refs come up here with a stick up their ass like they got assigned to go to Siberia instead of Lala land or South Beach.
I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, KAT and Gobert lack the requisite skills to punish teams for playing small ball and footspeed(especially an aging Gobert) on defense and in transition to instill any confidence in me this can work. We got killed all year in transition with Gobert and KAT on the court, don’t see that changing.
On Dane Moores podcast about exit interviews they both concluded as such, it was never a good fit and the team has to ask themselves “Is the path not taken potentially better than the path we are currently on?” If Connelly wasn’t GM and made the trade, I think one of them is moved this summer. Delaying the inevitable.
How original.