Rudy Gobert’s roller coaster ride is going in the wrong direction

Can anyone understand the roller coaster ride that is Rudy Gobert?

There are nights when Gobert dominates on the ball, like when he grabbed 18 rebounds in Minnesota’s win over the Clippers on Jan. 6. Then there are other nights when Gobert, who is 6-foot-1, grabbed fewer than five rebounds.

It was a stunning ride considering Gobert has long been one of the best rebounders in the league. In two games against Memphis last week, Gobert totaled four rebounds in both games. Minnesota lost every game by two points.

Gobert has grabbed more than 10 rebounds in 25 of 43 games this season. In those 25 games, he averaged 12.7 rebounds per game. In the 18 games in which he did not score in double figures, he averaged 6.8 rebounds.

In the chart below, you can see that the trend line of its recurring numbers is going in the wrong direction.

The Timberwolves are 6-12 in games in which Gobert doesn’t grab more than 10 rebounds and 16-9 when he scores in double figures on the glass.

Last week, head coach Chris Finch criticized Gobert’s rebounding after a loss to Golden State in which Gobert failed to box out Andrew Wiggins late in the game.

“I think Rudy has to get the ball in the air. He tries to play a melee game and gets too involved. He gets fouled quite a lot down there, but that’s really it.” “A difficult question because you don’t know who initiated it. I’d like to see him put the ball in the air and grab it,” Finch said.

According to Basketball Reference, Gobert’s overall rebound percentage – the number of rebounds he grabs while on the floor – is 17.2% this season. That’s a significant drop from his first two seasons with the Timberwolves, when he averaged 21.2% and 21.5% of all rebounds.

Gobert’s rebounding isn’t the only reason the Wolves have struggled, but it’s a problem area that needs to be addressed if they want to be taken seriously in the second half of the season.