Rudy Gobert strikes defiant tone after tough spell with Minnesota Timberwolves: "Average fan might not understand what I bring to the table"

Rudy Gobert's performance in Monday's 113-110 loss to the Miami Heat, where he went toe-to-toe with the Heat's Orlando Robinson, drew harsh criticism from fans and media alike. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was outplayed by an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract.

Robinson, in his seventh NBA game, set career hights with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes off the bench. Gobert had 10 points, eight rebounds and no blocks in 31 minutes, finishing with a minus-14 rating.

This only adds to the barrage of vitriol directed towards Gobert, as the two-time All-Star has struggled plenty this season.

Gobert addressed this and other topics in an interview with the New York Times, and when talking about his value, he said:

“The average fan might not understand what I bring to the table, but the GMs in the league do.”

He further added in the interview:

"A lot of people celebrate my failures. It’s kind of like a mark of respect for me just to have people that just wait until I do something wrong or until my teams start losing." (via) New York Times

Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves' struggles

OKC Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Rudy Gobert's offseason acquisition seems to have reaped no benefits for the Timberwolves. Through 35 games of the 2022-23 NBA season, Minnesota (16-19) is 11th in the Western Conference.

Gobert's numbers have fallen across the board, and his performance against a significantly smaller Miami Heat lineup has drawn a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Part of the Timberwolves' struggles, at least defensively, is the absence of formidable wing players and agile bigs who were traded away to bring Gobert to Minnesota.

The Wolves, for instance, defended their pick-and-roll last year by hedging. Now, with Gobert, they can't follow the same defensive principles, because he likes to stay in drop coverage owing to his lack of mobility. So, if the on-ball defender fails to recover, they're essentially giving up a high-percentage 3-point field goal.

However, Gobert's ability to the defend the paint has taken quite a nosedive. Gobert's overall DFG% has risen from 41.6% to 46.9%, and his DFG% within 10 feet of the rim has risen from 48.6% to 55.2%.

DFG% : The opponents' field-goal percentage on shots when the player is defending the shot

Gobert's DRTG, a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions, has risen to 110, a career-worst by a margin of 6 points. Prior to this season, Gobert's DRTG never went above 104.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been out since Nov. 30, only adds to the Timberwolves' troubles. On the offensive side of the ball, Minnesota ranks just outside the bottom 10, and has the 11th worst offensive rating in the NBA.

Although Gobert's pick-and-roll production has sustained (1.32 ppp last year, 1.35 ppp, this year), the frequency with which the Timberwolves run PNR with Gobert as the roll man has fallen drastically. Compared to last year's 27.1% with the Jazz, the Wolves are running Gobert in the pick and roll just 17.4% of the time.

With Towns likely to further miss a week or two, there seems to be no respite in sight for the Timberwolves.