Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert Says He 'Didn't Play as Good' as He Could Last Season

Rudy Gobert expects more out of himself next season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center was coming off of three consecutive All-Star nods when he was traded to the team by the Utah Jazz. He said that adjusting to the system and new background was difficult and not having that obstacle this time around will make things smoother.

"It was definitely a year where I didn't play as good as I could," Gobert said, per Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. "But I kept fighting. I kept working. I kept being a good teammate and being a good leader. Now, I'm feeling better physically, feeling better mentally. Now I'm not in the process of adjusting to a new system and a new team. So it's going to be different year."

Gobert then expressed confidence in the team as a whole, stating that the Timberwolves could surprise a lot of people in 2023-24.

"I think we have the potential to be really really good," Gobert said, per Stroggylakis. "I think we're going to have a good training camp. Build good habits.I think we have the potential to be a top two defensive team. And I don't need to talk about how talented we are offensively. If we come in with the mindset of doing whatever it takes to have the team win and holding each other accountable while doing that, I think we're going to have a surprisingly really good year."

Gobert averaged 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in 70 games for the Timberwolves in 2022-23. These numbers were his lowest since 2017-18, and it's a troubling sign given the significant haul the Timberwolves gave up to acquire Gobert.

He also commands as he is set to make $41 million in 2023-24 and is under contract through 2024-25 with a player option for 2025-26. This makes him the highest paid player on the team for the upcoming season and scheduled extensions to Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards mean that the team will have several high value contracts in the near future.

With this comes criticism and Gobert said that he embraces that because he knows it will motivate him.

"I love it," Gobert said, per Stroggylakis. "I think it comes with accomplishing big things, people hold you to high standards. I hold myself to higher standards than they do. It's a blessing for me. As I said, I'm excited coming back next year and be the best player I can be."

The Timberwolves will look to build off of their playoff berth in 2022-23 and the journey will start October 25 when they travel north of the border to face the Toronto Raptors.