Yahoo Sports NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh takes a look at his latest ‘Big Number’ and why the Timberwolves big man — four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year — plays a key role in Minnesota’s rim defense.
Video transcript
My name is Tom Haberstroh.
And you’re looking at the huge number.
Today’s big number is 109.9.
This is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ defensive rating with Rudy Gobert on the field in the Western Conference Finals among the seven Minnesota Timberwolves players with at least 75 minutes played in this series.
It is the lowest, meaning the best court rating for any player.
What this tells us is that even though some people call Gobert a defensive lineman, the Timberwolves’ defense is at its best with Gobert on the floor.
Gobert may not be racking up a lot of blocks, but he is forcing a number of business decisions, like when Luca Kyrie and the Mavs offense just don’t want to go to the rim when Gobert is out there with Gobert on the court, Dallas at mid-range. Two-point shot is 7 feet away from the basket.
But when he sits down, that same number drops to 5.4 feet, meaning the Mavericks are getting closer and closer to the rim, with Gobert checking in for more. Dallas’ drop percentage at the rim rises from 68% when Gobert is in the game to 83%. when he’s off the court.
83% Gobert is not perfect.
No defender is, but highlighting him for his defensive limitations says more about the critic than about the subject himself.
Just look at the team’s low defensive rating of 109.9.
I’m Tom Haverstraw and that’s the big number.
