Timberwolves Starting to See How Dangerous Ball-Gobert Duo Can Be

The LaMelo Ball to Rudy Gobert pick-and-roll connection showed growing signs of chemistry in the Wolves' 128-106 preseason loss to the Pistons

Oct 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves point guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles up court during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In their lone preseason game at Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves struggled with the size and strength of the Detroit Pistons. Along with numerous points and rebounds in the paint from Jalen Duren, the Pistons often picked up LaMelo Ball full-court, making it tough for Minnesota to get into their offense.

The Wolves countered with their new pick-and-roll duo of Ball and Rudy Gobert. As Anthony Edwards explained after the Wolves' 128-106 loss, the best way for the Wolves' offense to run efficiently will be by setting screens and creating for the team's new point guard.

“See how we can relieve the pressure. I think that’s the main thing from tonight," Edwards said about dealing with Detroit's ball pressure. "Watch the film, see how we can pass. Get it back."

"See how [LaMelo] likes to be screened cause we got to get ‘em off of him. He’s a great passer, man. If he don’t got an advantage, then we don’t have no advantage, so we need him to have the ball in his hands all game, and we need to create advantages for him.”

The chemistry between Ball and Gobert has been growing throughout the preseason, with Wednesday night being one of the first times their two-man game began to show its potential to be a dangerous weapon for the Wolves.

Not a whole lot of positive takeaway for the Wolves tonight, but I thought one of them was a growing pick-and-roll synergy between LaMelo and Rudy

Still some growing pains. Rudy missed Ayo in the corner and Jaden had a turnover (Ant in poor position) but the chemistry is growing pic.twitter.com/hpy1J6eh9R

— Ryan Eichten (@REichten) October 15, 2026

LaMelo Ball-Rudy Gobert connection is a new Timberwolves weapon

Ball has shown a much greater willingness to find Gobert rolling to the rim than any Timberwolves player since Mike Conley was in the starting lineup. While Gobert had mixed results against the Pistons when receiving the pass, it remains a good sign that Ball has made it a commitment to find the big man when he is open.

While he did miss Ayo Dosunmu wide open in the corner during a play early in the second quarter, Gobert was able to catch and either finish or find a teammate multiple times on Wednesday night. While Gobert's negative plays often get more attention than the positive ones, the Wolves' big man makes the correct read more often than not.

"It’s just natural for me. Natural to try to make the right play," Gobert said. "To see my teammates, find my teammates. I feel like playing through me, playing through the big, I feel like it relieves a lot of pressure on our guards, especially against teams that are really physical."

The main issue with the Wolves' pick-and-roll game this preseason, and with Ball specifically, has been turnovers. Ball is averaging 3.5 turnovers in four preseason games while playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. Both Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also had turnovers in the screen-and-roll game against the Pistons.

The hope is that those turnovers are just growing pains of an offense learning to play with one another. The Wolves are also transitioning from a low pick-and-roll team to one that relies on it much more, with Ball as their point guard.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch spoke about his team's turnover problem before the game and detailed why some turnovers are not nearly as detrimental as others.

Here's Chris Finch talking about how not all turnovers are created equally, when asked about LaMelo Ball's passing.

"Yeah, there are good turnovers... We've been a high turnover team historically. But if we're trying to do the right thing sometimes I think it's overblown. I'l… pic.twitter.com/MbL3QzAIQC

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 14, 2026

McDaniels has seen the largest jump in production in the Timberwolves' new-look offense. This is partly because he is seeing far easier defensive matchups, but McDaniels has also often been positioned one pass away from the Ball-Gobert two-man action and has received several wide-open three-pointers after his defender rotates to help.

Jonathan Kuminga, as well, has fit in along with Ball as one of the newcomers to the starting lineup. Kuminga has often received the ball against a shifted defense rotating over to cover him. The Wolves' newest forward has done a great job attacking closeouts and either getting to the rim or finding the right next pass.

It is all a work in progress for the Timberwolves, which is what preseason is for. While the Ball-Gobert pick-and-roll has seen its ups and downs, it has shown enough upside to be considered one of the Wolves' primary actions this upcoming season.

Like everything else, though, the true test will come in the regular season when the outcomes of the games begin to matter.

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