Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is questionable for Game 2 against the Nuggets due to personal reasons, the team announced Monday morning. Gobert was not seen on the court during the portion of Minnesota’s pregame shootaround that was open to media.
According to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Gobert said earlier this season that he would miss a potential playoff game to be present for the birth of his child. He posted a photo on social media announcing he and his girlfriend were expecting a child on Feb. 21.
Gobert in March on if he’d miss a playoff game:
“I don’t think there’s any debate to have. … That’s what I really love about our team, we have a level of human connection and empathy for one another that’s really good. I think all the guys will literally tell me don’t play.” https://t.co/zxU26Ub6uE
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) May 6, 2024
The focal point of Minnesota’s league-leading defense, Gobert is widely expected to win his fourth career NBA Defensive Player of the Year crown this season. The award will be announced Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. MT.
Gobert has been instrumental in the Timberwolves’ defensive scheme against Nuggets center Nikola Jokic despite not being the primary one-on-one matchup for Jokic. Minnesota puts Karl-Anthony Towns on the two-time MVP while Gobert roams as a free safety of sorts, converging on Jokic when necessary but also monitoring the lethal alley-oop connection to Aaron Gordon, who lurks on the baseline for easy buckets in Denver’s offense.
Without Gobert, the Timberwolves can still use two centers in their starting lineup. NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid filled in while Towns was injured late in the regular season, keeping the Timberwolves steady near the top of the Western Conference standings. And in their Game 1 win against the Nuggets, Reid scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 in the last six minutes.
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Peyton Watson registered four blocks against Reid while matched up against the backup center April 10 when Denver won its final regular-season meeting with Minnesota. The 21-year-old Watson only played 5:30 in Game 1 of the playoff series, as coach Michael Malone opted for a bench lineup that prioritized offense after the Nuggets scored only four points in the first seven minutes of the series. But if Reid becomes a bigger factor in the second game and Denver requires more defensive versatility, the matchup may call for more of Watson, a shot-blocking wing who has studied Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels as a comparable player.