Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Finch on Rudy Gobert's mission, KAT's move from sun to planet
Perhaps you've noticed, but the Minnesota Timberwolves enter play Tuesday with the best record in the NBA and playing two 7-footers appears to have broken through the overwhelming ceiling of doubters and blossomed into what could be the most dangerous style of play in the league.
What's changed in the first 19 games of the 2023-24 season after the Timberwolves struggled to keep their head above water in 2022-23? For starters, Rudy Gobert is fully healthy and Karl-Anthony Towns has 100% bought into his new-ish role.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch opined on both big men in a fascinating interview with KFAN-FM 100.3's Paul Allen on Monday.
Rudy Gobert is an animal on a mission
"First of all, I don't think we saw the best version of Rudy last year just for health. I think he was a bit banged up in his lower body all season long. Never really complained about it but I think it certainly affected him," Finch said.
Gobert's ailing back was the big news throughout last season, but Finch saying his 7-foot-1 center's lower body was never really right is fairly revealing. Gobert missed some time during the 2022 Euroleague with an ankle injury, so that might be what Finch was getting at in his response.
Beyond that, Finch says Gobert is on a mission to prove doubters wrong.
"His mindset coming into the season is about as focused of a player I've ever been around. The way he was talking, the way he was excited about the season, the way he felt settled and happy and encouraged by everything ... it just takes some time when you're traded. It just does, we underestimate that part," Finch said.
"And then he's gone out and backed it up. He's on a mission, he wants to prove to the league, he wants to prove to his teammates and the fans here that he was certainly worthy of the trade and worthy of being here and he's on a mission to win a championship.
"These guys have accomplished a lot in their career and the only thing that's missing is the biggest thing. Him and Mike Conley are very, very, very motivated and excited about the opportunities. The league is more wide open than ever, and I don't put us above anybody but it is open and I think that's got a lot of players around the league motivated in the right way."
Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in a time out during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Gobert's offensive numbers are actually slightly down this year compared to last, but his blocks have risen from 1.4 to 2.4 this season and he's been a monster changing shots in the middle of Minnesota's No. 1 defense.
On Wednesday, Gobert will get a second opportunity to beat fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama when the Timberwolves host the Spurs. It'll be another opportunity for the 31-year-old veteran to show the 19-year-old phenom how good he is.
"It's still man versus boy," Finch explained. "The best teams go out and impose themselves. When you're playing against a Steph Curry and you're a young guy, you cannot believe how quick, fast and how much he moves for a guy his age. Until you play against him, you don't know. You can't experience it. It's not relatable. Coach can tell you a million times. Same thing with Rudy, when you get out there with his physicality and his length, it's a different animal."
"Now you bring physicality, you bring experience and you bring an incredible desire to dominate the matchup, and that's what we're seeing with Rudy," Finch concluded.
KAT morphed from sun to planet
After a slow start to the season, Towns has become a force. He's averaging 22.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while being one of only two players in the league (the other being teammate Naz Reid) with a shooting line of 50-40-90, meaning he's shooting at least 50% overall, 40+% from 3 and 90+% from the free-throw line.
"Through it all, he's had to make the most adjustments," Finch explained. "He's' stayed patient. He's really bought into the spacing. The way I explained it to him one day, 'You used to be a sun and now you're more of a planet. You just gotta find your orbit and once you find your orbit, everything will fall in place. The ball's still gonna find you, you still gotta stay aggressive, we're still going to give you the ball, we're going to play through you, but it's just your spatial awareness on the floor has to change.' He's taken that message to heart and he's really done a great job."
Towns is averaging 24.7 points in his last 13 games and after making just 8 of his first 34 attempts from 3 (23.5%), he's gone nuclear by hitting 33 of his last 64 shots from deep over the last 13 games. That's a 7-footer, the self-described "greatest big man shooter of all time, hitting 51.5% of his 3s over the last 13 games.
"He's been phenomenal. KAT's secret weapon has always been his efficiency," Finch said. "He doesn't need a lot of shots. He's an aggressive scorer and we love that. He's shooting the ball really clean from the 3-point line, there's not a lot of hesitation. Probably the best shooter on our team. We needed him to do more of that.
"Sometimes when these guys have incredible skill like KAT, it's not that they get bored doing simple things over and over again, but they kind of do a little bit. Just trust your talent and keep it simple and play strong and now you'll benefit from it and I think that's what you're seeing."
