The Timberwolves' twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns have yet to play in a preseason game together, and that still won't happen Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers, coach Chris Finch said Tuesday.
Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert likely to play together Friday in preseason finale
The two centers have yet to be on the floor together this preseason because of rest for Gobert and illness for Towns.
October 12, 2022 at 12:14AM
Gobert will rest for the matchup as the team looks to keep his workload light this preseason following his run to the silver medal for France in the EuroBasket tournament this summer. The team is also managing one of Gobert's knees to make sure it is 100% when he takes the floor for the regular season.
"We're trying to give him as much rest as we can right now," Finch said. "He's getting a bunch of treatment to make that thing feel as good as it can and we're trying to be mindful of all the work that he had in his ramp-up this summer."
Finch, speaking on a Zoom teleconference as the team practiced in Los Angeles, said the plan was for Gobert and Towns to play together in Friday's preseason finale at home against Brooklyn.
"Ideally we would've liked more [of them playing together]," Finch said. "But we're definitely getting the work done."
Rotational questions
Related to that, Finch said the team hasn't been able to try all the lineups it might like in game situations. Towns missed the first two preseason games as he worked his way back from an illness that caused him to miss the first week of training camp.
Gobert sat Sunday when Towns made his preseason debut against the Clippers.
Finch has said individuals' preseason performances haven't swayed him one way or another when it comes to thinking about his rotations when the season opens.
"I've had an open mind about it all, really," Finch said. "I haven't tried to pencil in anyone at this stage into our rotations."
Finch singled out two rotation players — guards Bryn Forbes and Austin Rivers — as standing out so far. Both players might be competing for the same minutes. Forbes went 5-for-6 from three-point range Sunday while Rivers brings a defensive edge.
"We're going to have to make some choices somewhere along the line," Finch said. "What we do like about our bench is if you look at all those guys, they give you something a little different, so we have options and things to go to depending what the game might need."
Gobert keeps corner threes down
Gobert's presence on the floor and ability to protect the rim has helped Utah in previous seasons keep down the number of three-point attempts that come from the corner, which is one of the highest-valued shots on the floor.
Last season, Utah allowed 7.7 corner three-point attempts per game, which was tied for the sixth-best mark in the league.
"It keeps you on rotations," Finch said of Gobert's defensive presence. "Allows guys to stay home or get home a little quicker than they could in other coverages. We worked a lot on that early and something that he's done a good job of communicating his feel of when to pass guys off, when to tell guys to start getting back."
Reducing that number for the Wolves, who allowed the second-most at 11.2 per game, is something Finch is focusing on this preseason.
After trailing from the first basket to the final 69 ticks, the Timberwolves defeated a Phoenix team that lacked key players but had Devin Booker, who scored 44 points.
