Fans and experts were expecting a great outcome from Minnesota‘s fearless experiment of pairing two centers together in their starting lineup last season. However, it turned into a false start as Karl-Anthony Towns missed out on 52 matches due to a strained calf muscle, just as Rudy Gobert was making his official debut with the Timberwolves.
Unfortunately for the French big man, he was at the end of most of the criticism the team earned throughout the campaign, even though they eventually qualified to the playoffs but lost in the Western Conference’s first round.
“I think it’s always a work in progress,” Gobert said. “You can’t get enough.” Check out some of the duo’s best plays from their 2022/23 season in the video below.
It wasn’t until Towns finally returned for the postseason that they were able to demonstrate what the experiment was all about. Their coaching staff now expects the French star to feel more comfortable in Minnesota, just as they hope to keep the Dominican healthy throughout the competition.
“Me and Rudy needed more time,” Towns admitted. “Obviously my injury didn’t help, so it will be good to be out there with him and be healthy doing it and just get right to it.”
There was a lot of pressure around Gobert‘s performances, as he was traded from Utah to Minnesota at a high price, made up of five-first round picks (including Walker Kessler).
The 31-year-old recently returned from representing France at the FIBA World Cup saying he’s feeling the ‘best I’ve ever felt’, and now feels enthusiastic to restart with the Wolves.
“I think we’ve grown a lot individually and collectively, and now I feel really excited being back here with this group,” Gobert said. “I can feel their energy. I can feel that it’s going to be a good year for us.”
Wolves’ president Tim Connelly recognized that coach Finch ‘was dealt a tough hand’ and trusts his vision of pairing both centers
Right before the start of their training camp this Friday, both coach Chris Finch and president Tim Connelly attended the press to talk about the decisions made over the summer, just as well as their expectations for this upcoming season.
The executive trusts the staff’s vision, and understood that external circumstances also affected their performances. “He was dealt a tough hand to try to make that work,” Connelly told the press.
“I think both those guys are very willing and capable of putting team in front of individual productivity.”
Tim Connelly talks about the sacrifice and chemistry between star big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. #RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/cf0uHmd1BR
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 28, 2023
Now that the Timberwolves are ready to replay the Gobert-Towns pairing, coach Finch addressed how this formula will adjust to Anthony Edwards‘ continuous emergence as a rising star in the league, and how the three of them can connect on the floor.
“We’ll do a lot of work with those guys together — player-development, small group work for sure,” the trainer explained. “I think through the season last year, Ant and Rudy had a better understanding. It’s not the finished product by any stretch of the imagination, but you felt it getting better and better. I think the key for us is to recapture the chemistry that Ant and KAT have always had.”
