Rudy Gobert Underperformed in the 2024 Western Conference Finals

Rudy Gobert Underperformed in the 2024 Western Conference Finals

It’s plain obvious that Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves did not, in fact, have that dawg in them in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. They were only able to squeak out a single win, and got absolutely smoked by Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the gentleman’s sweep. Where does the blame lie? Some commentators have heaped criticism on the reigning DPOY. Let’s see how Gobert’s WCF stats stack up.

Let’s start with a very basic defensive stat- blocks. Rudy Gobert didn’t even lead his own team in this category. In fact, he tied for second with Naz Reid at 0.8 per game. Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves with a whopping 1.0 blocks per game. Conversely, the Mavericks fared much, much better in this category. They had three players average 1.0 blocks per game or more- P.J. Washington with 1.0, rookie Dereck Lively II with 1.5, and Daniel Gafford leading the series with 2.6. It’s not a good look for Gobert when two players on the opposing team basically double and triple a major defensive stat over him.

Next, let’s examine rebounds. If there is one thing a 250lb Rudy Gobert should be able to do at 7’1″ with a 7’9″ wingspan, it’s grab boards. Once again, he wasn’t even the best on his team in this regard. Gobert averaged 7.6 per game for a total of 38 in the five game series. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards both fared better than him in this regard, averaging 8.4 and 8.8 rebounds per game, respectively. Both players beat Gobert in total defensive rebounds and total rebounds overall. The Mavericks had two players who bested Gobert in this category. Luka averaged 9.6 per game for 48 total. Dereck Lively II averaged slightly better than Gobert at 7.8 per game, but totaled 31.

Finally, let’s go over the most all-encompassing stat that we can: defensive rating. Rudy Gobert earned himself a defensive rating of 119 for this series, which is worse than his regular season. Here’s a list of players with better ratings from this series: Mike Conley (118), Luka Dončić (111), P.J. Washington (116), Daniel Gafford (110), Dereck Lively II (111) and Jaden Hardy (117). I could list more, but I think the point is made.

Rudy Gobert’s general performance in the Western Conference Finals was ugly. His offensive effort was lackluster, not that it’s ever been the focus of his game to anyway. He did not lead in any statistical category, defensive or otherwise. In fact, he was outperformed from basically every angle by a rookie in Dereck Lively II. Numbers aside, he flat out didn’t look good. A one-legged Luka Dončić was able to out-maneuver him for the dagger in game 2. Mike Conley dropped the hammer on him in game 3. He showed an inability to play perimeter defense. Gobert even got hot take master Kendrick Perkins to say he had “tarnished” the DPOY award. It’s hard to argue with the evidence.

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