Rudy Gobert has proven his 'haters' right
Rudy Gobert has vindicated his most vocal detractors — Draymond Green, Shaquille O'Neal and DeMarcus Cousins among others — with his subpar showing in the Western Conference Finals.
In three games thus far, Gobert is averaging 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 block, significant drops from his regular-season averages of 14 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
On offense, he's clogged up driving lanes for Anthony Edwards, failed to set good screens for ball-handlers and been MIA as a lob threat out of pick-and-roll actions. In the rare instances he's caught the ball near the paint, his lackluster footwork and post skills have been thoroughly exposed.
On defense, he's been a liability when switched onto Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving (Game 2 finish, anyone?), and even worse — he's been out-hustled by a 20-year-old rookie in Dereck Lively. Below are examples of Daniel Gafford and Lively manhandling Gobert in Sunday's Game 3.
Gobert became so unplayable that Timberwolves kept him out of the game through most of the fourth quarter of Game 3. And when he returned, they were outscored by seven points in three minutes.
After the game, Charles Barkley implored the Timberwolves to bench Gobert in favor of Naz Reid for the remainder of the series.
"I think they should start Naz Reid," Barkley said on "Inside the NBA" on TNT. "I'm probably going to take Rudy out. He can't guard anybody out there."
That Barkley said Gobert "can't guard anybody" is a shocking indictment on a player winning four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
When your peers vote you the "most overrated" player in the league, they must have a valid reason to do so. Gobert's supporters have come to his defense in the past, labeling those critics as "haters" jealous of the Frenchman's vast trophy collection. But with each passing postseason, it's becoming clearer that those detractors may be on to something.
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