Lakers Insider Reportedly Said LA Made Rudy Gobert Look 'Like Shaq' After Game 5 Loss
In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Lakers' 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that ended their season, one of the big stories coming out of Game 5 was how much Wolves center Rudy Gobert dominated them.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin quoted one Lakers team source as saying "Gobert looked like Shaq" against them.
Gobert set playoff career-highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds. His nine offensive rebounds were his second-most in a playoff game and one more the Lakers had as a team.
The 27 points for Gobert were 13 more than he had in the first four games combined. It also marked his first 20-point playoff game since June 2021.
Shaquille O'Neal had 15 playoff games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, 12 of which came during his eight seasons with the Lakers.
One of the big concerns for the Lakers going into the postseason was their lack of size and a true starting center. Jaxson Hayes had some nice moments down the stretch in the regular season catching lobs from Luka Dončić, but his track record didn't suggest that he'd make a big impact in the playoffs.
Sure enough, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn't trust Hayes. He played fewer than 10 minutes in each of the first four games against the Timberwolves and didn't make an appearance in Game 5.
The Lakers' lack of size in the paint stood out over the course of the series. It was especially felt in the deciding game when Gobert was able to do whatever he wanted against them.
After the Game 5 loss, LeBron James answered a question about the difficulty of playing without a center by saying, "My guy AD said what he needed, and he was gone the following week" in his postgame press conference.
This was in reference to Anthony Davis saying in January that he felt like the Lakers would "need another big" to reach their full potential. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Dončić not long after that comment.
Finding a center does figure to be a high priority for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka this summer as the team tries to assemble a championship-caliber roster for the 2025-26 season.
