Shaquille O’Neal is not the only retired NBA great that has a problem with Rudy Gobert.
Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady appeared this week on fubo Sports’ “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas.” During a discussion about the coming NBA season, McGrady ripped the new Minnesota Timberwolves center over his limitations on offense.
“This is what I’ve been wondering, what the f–k you doing in the offseason?” he said of Gobert. “Straight up. That’s bulls—t. Like, what is your workout?”
“I was so mad at Rudy when they were playing against the Rockets one year bro, and Chris Paul was guarding him in the post,” McGrady went on. “I was mad as s–t. He couldn’t do nothing. Bro, you’re 7-foot-2, and a point guard is guarding you. He had no moves.”
Few will dispute that Gobert has blotches in his offensive game. He does not shoot threes, cannot hit midrange shots, and does not score with his back to the basket either. But are Gobert’s teams really better off if he is taking those shots? Instead, Gobert focuses on his strengths, namely his elite efficiency in the pick-and-roll and his dynamism as a lob threat and putback artist. That will be especially valuable next season in Minnesota when Gobert plays alongside a do-it-all offensive big in Karl-Anthony Towns.
At the end of the day, Gobert still gives you over 15 points a game by sticking specifically to what he does best on offense. That is not even to say anything of Gobert’s Godzillian rim protection and his three career Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Yet somehow, Gobert still does not get enough respect, both from retired players and current ones as well.
