Rudy Gobert prioritizes setting the tone for Timberwolves after inconsistent start

DETROIT – The Timberwolves defeated the Clippers on Friday in large part because Rudy Gobert had his best game with the franchise. Gobert scored 25 points and had 21 rebounds. It was the ninth time in his career Gobert scored more than 20 points and had more than 20 rebounds in the same game.

After the game, Gobert mentioned something in his postgame remarks multiple times that he needed to do more of, something he hadn't much discussed previously this season.

Gobert said he needed to be more of a tone-setter for the Wolves.

"I got to set the tone every night," Gobert said. "Early in the season, there's some games where I didn't. Now that's my mind-set, whether I'm tired, whether things don't go our way, I have to bring that mind-set every night."

Gobert did that in the second half of the Wolves' win against Houston, when he had a number of key plays in the paint on defense and some authoritative dunks on offense.

The effect on the bench could be contagious. When he makes those kind of plays, it tends to get his teammates off their feet and celebrating. After one Gobert dunk against Houston, guard D'Angelo Russell stood up and flexed for about 20 seconds for the crowd to see.

"We feed off it," forward Kyle Anderson said. "If our big fella is going, getting blocks, getting dunks, we love it. I think it just wakes everybody else up, gets the next guy to make a play and gets everybody else going."

Gobert said he has been appreciative of his teammates sticking with him as he's navigated an inconsistent first half of the season, one everyone involved wishes was better. The Wolves are in 10th place in the Western Conference after losing to Detroit on Wednesday but were just 3.5 games back of fourth. They were two games below .500 and it isn't too late for Gobert to turn around his season and that of the team's.

"Just playing with intensity. Just try to make some effort plays," Gobert said. "Get big rebounds, blocks, have communication. Just try to do things that are not just going to impact the game, and impact winning, but also have an impact for my teammates, and just lead by example."

His teammates notice and respond when he does.

"It gives us energy," guard Anthony Edwards said. "It gives us a lot of energy when we see him protecting the rim, getting all the rebounds, screening and dunking."

After tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last season, Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio was set to make his season debut Wednesday against Portland. There is a chance Rubio could play against his former team when Cleveland comes to Minnesota for its lone visit of the season Saturday.

Rubio has had two stints with the Wolves, seven seasons overall. In the summer of 2021, the Wolves traded Rubio to Cleveland in a deal that brought forward Taurean Prince to Minnesota.

Rubio was averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists per game for the Cavaliers last season before he suffered the injury 34 games into the season.

Anderson was a late scratch because of an illness. Guard Austin Rivers started in his place. Anthony Edwards started Wednesday but briefly left the game because of lingering left hip soreness, which also caused him to exit Friday's game. Edwards played Sunday against Houston.