Welcomed like a star in Minnesota, Rudy Gobert knows the importance he will take on in the game of his new franchise. Reinforcement above all defensive, the French pivot will discover on the spot a nugget who could follow in his footsteps in the field!
The franchise has relied on a talented workforce for years now. And yet, it was impossible for him to settle in the gratin of the Western conference. The Timberwolves, however, learned from their mistakes last year, and finally showed a defensive rigor worthy of a playoff team. Result: a campaign concluded with a record of 46-36, and with an encouraging series of postseason.
Not satisfied with this good progress, the leaders of Minnesota have decided to hit hard this summer, and to seek to further strengthen their defensive sector. It is with this in mind that Rudy Gobert was obtained via a huge trade, intended to make the team a contender for the title. However, the French pivot should not be the only bulwark of magnitude within the workforce.
The shadow teammate that Rudy Gobert will love
Despite losing Patrick Beverley in the offseason, Wolves will be counting on Gobert to establish themselves as one of the most feared defenses in the league… but not only. In the columns of The AthleticJon Krawczynski recalls that the Stifle Tower will benefit from an ally of choice on this side of the pitch, in the person of the young and versatile Jaden McDaniels:
According to BBall Index figures, McDaniels most often defended on power forwards (24.39% of the time), followed by fullbacks (24.04%), wingers (20.87%), point guards (19.91%) and pivots. (10.79%). He’s the youngest player in the database to deliver such a versatile season, while being ranked this high on the BBall stat for overall defensive impact.
Trained by an expert defense superstar in recent weeks, McDaniels risks doing good to Gobzilla and his partners with his complete panoply. He could also represent a fearsome scarecrow in the painting alongside the tricolor big man:
Opponents posted a 7.56% lower shooting percentage than expected when McDaniels challenged their shot in the key. (Derrick) White is the only defensive winger who had a better number (7.80%).
So many extremely encouraging statistics for Chris Finch, who must also have appreciated the big ambitions displayed by his talented interior:
I’m aiming for a spot in the All-Defensive First Team this season. It might be difficult, but I’ll integrate one of the two.
Already impressive defensively last year, Jaden McDaniels has done the necessary work to improve in practice during the offseason, and hopes to do even better in the coming months. This should not displease Rudy Gobert!
