Rudy Gobert criticizes Timberwolves teammates for ‘unacceptable’ performance.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert criticized his team’s lack of effort following Friday night’s defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, a matter that coach Chris Finch indicated was addressed on Saturday.
The Timberwolves held a lead of as much as 18 points early in the third quarter but watched that advantage diminish midway through the fourth, ultimately resulting in a 119-115 loss to the 14th-place Pelicans.
“At some point, if the players don’t take accountability, someone has to be accountable for the players,” Gobert stated to reporters after the game. “I’m focused solely on effort. I’m not even discussing the basketball aspects, like … errors are part of the game, but the effort for a team aspiring to compete for a championship is, to me, unacceptable.”
Gobert, who recorded 12 points and 16 rebounds in the game, suggested that the coaching staff might need to consider benching certain players who are not demonstrating sufficient effort.
“It’s not an easy position for a coach to remove players from the game,” he remarked, without specifically naming any individuals. “It’s not something you want to do, but I believe if the players do not exhibit effort, at some point, regardless of our talent as a team, without that, you simply cannot be a successful team.”
Prior to Saturday’s game against the LA Clippers, Finch acknowledged he was aware of the comments but contended that the team maintains a “high degree of accountability.”
“I manage all my discussions with our team internally,” Finch stated. “It’s disappointing [Gobert] felt the need to go public. Nevertheless, that has already been addressed today. No team has ever achieved anything significant by substituting their way to success.”
The loss brought the Timberwolves’ record to 32-21, placing them in a tie in the loss column with the Phoenix Suns for the 6th seed in the Western Conference.
