Rudy Gobert, the center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, may not play in Game 2 against the Nuggets due to personal reasons, as announced by the team on Monday morning. Gobert was not seen on the court during the part of Minnesota’s pregame shootaround that was open to media.
As per The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Gobert mentioned earlier in the season that he would skip a potential playoff game to be there for the birth of his child. On Feb. 21, he shared a photo on social media announcing that he and his girlfriend were expecting a child.
Gobert in March on if he'd miss a playoff game:
"I don’t think there’s any debate to have. … That’s what I really love about our team, we have a level of human connection and empathy for one another that’s really good. I think all the guys will literally tell me don’t play." https://t.co/zxU26Ub6uE
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) May 6, 2024
Gobert, who is the focal point of Minnesota’s top-ranked defense, is widely anticipated to win his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this season. The award will be revealed at 4:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday.
Gobert has played a crucial role in the Timberwolves’ defensive strategy against Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, even though he is not the primary one-on-one matchup for Jokic. Minnesota assigns Karl-Anthony Towns to guard the two-time MVP, while Gobert acts as a free safety, converging on Jokic when needed and also monitoring the dangerous alley-oop connection to Aaron Gordon, who positions himself on the baseline for easy buckets in Denver’s offense.
If Gobert is unavailable, the Timberwolves can still have two centers in their starting lineup. NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid stepped in when Towns was injured late in the regular season, helping the Timberwolves maintain their position near the top of the Western Conference standings. In Game 1 against the Nuggets, Reid scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, with 10 of those coming in the last six minutes.
In the final regular-season meeting between Denver and Minnesota on April 10, Peyton Watson blocked four of Reid’s attempts while defending the backup center. However, Watson only played for 5:30 in Game 1 of the playoff series, as coach Michael Malone chose a bench lineup focused on offense after the Nuggets scored only four points in the first seven minutes of the series. If Reid becomes more influential in the second game and Denver needs more defensive flexibility, the matchup may require more of Watson, who is a wing player known for shot-blocking and has studied Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels as a similar player.
