The Timberwolves’ Conundrum: Finding a Playoff-Level Offense with Rudy Gobert
The Timberwolves’ late-season surge in the spring, with a 13-4 record over their final 17 games, was largely fueled by the dominant play of Rudy Gobert. The French center averaged 15.4 points and 12.5 rebounds during this span, with his numbers ballooning to 18.8 points and 14.9 rebounds in the final 10 games. However, this success was short-lived, as Gobert’s impact was significantly diminished in the playoffs.
Despite his impressive regular-season performance, Gobert played 30-plus minutes in only two of Minnesota’s 15 playoff games. He scored in double figures just three times and had double-digit rebounds only four times. While Gobert’s net rating was still impressive, with the Wolves out-scoring the Thunder by five points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, his role was largely reduced in the postseason.
A Change in Strategy
The Timberwolves’ decision to lean into more offense-first lineups, which worked effectively in earlier playoff matchups, led to Gobert’s diminished role. Teams began to ignore the center, knowing that Anthony Edwards and the Wolves wouldn’t find him enough to make them pay for the tactical decision. As a result, Minnesota opted to put in five scoring threats to simplify the reads for Edwards and Julius Randle.
While Gobert is a crucial part of the team, his role in the 2024-25 season resembled an “innings eater” rather than a high-leverage closer. The Gobert-heavy identity formed late in the regular season was seemingly null and void, although coach Chris Finch disputes this notion. Finch argues that the team’s identity is more multi-faceted and that Gobert is a big part of what they do.
Flexibility and Adaptability
Finch cites the Oklahoma City Thunder as an example of a team that changed the roles of players throughout its rotation depending on matchups. He notes that the minutes for Thunder player Isaiah Hartenstein fluctuated, and while Hartenstein was invaluable in the conference semifinal victory over Denver, he was dispensable at other points in the postseason. The key to success lies in flexibility and adaptability, and the Timberwolves must find a way to better integrate Gobert into the offense.
Gobert has acknowledged the need to be more decisive, aggressive, and poised with the ball in the middle of the floor, allowing teammates to trust him in those situations. Randle has also stated that he understands Gobert’s offensive game better now, and time and chemistry could lead to incremental gains that may solve some of the postseason problems. However, the question remains whether the Wolves should also focus on developing non-Gobert lineups to be better prepared for high-leverage playoff battles.
Finch believes that the team doesn’t need to make a seismic shift during the regular season to prepare for the playoffs. Instead, they can focus on winning every game and adjusting their strategy as needed. With the importance of finishing between sixth and third in the West, the Timberwolves must find a balance between developing their offense and preparing for the postseason.
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