Rudy Gobert is not exactly feeling the love in his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves came out flat in the first half against the Miami Heat on Monday. They fell behind 60-47 at halftime, despite the Heat being without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and some other key players. Amid the double-digit deficit, Minnesota’s fans began to boo their own team.
Fortunately, the Timberwolves cleaned up their act in the third quarter as they outscored Miami 37-19 before eventually pulling out a 105-101 victory. After the game, Minnesota’s center Gobert had a harsh response to the boos.
“I just don’t appreciate people that come in to boo your team,” said Gobert, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “When you’re a fan, you gotta support your team in the tough or in the good moments. There’s no team in NBA history that only had good moments, so if you’re not going to support us in the tough moments, just stay home. I think if you’re going to embrace us in the tough moments, then come, and then we’re going to love the support.
“Things are not always going to go well,” Gobert added. “It’s a long season. There is a lot of things that come into a season. You can’t just boo every time the other team makes a run. That’s not the support that we need. That’s not the support we expect. At the same time, we’re really grateful for the fans. I think it’s a mentality … That’s why I appreciate they cheer when we win, but I hope they support us in tough moments too.”
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert had other interesting comments on the boos too. You can read them in Krawczynski’s article here.
While Gobert might not like it, the Timberwolves have actually given their fans plenty to boo about this season. Even with the win over the Heat, they still sit at just 9-8 on the season (including 5-5 at home). With Minnesota draining an entire cabinet’s worth of assets to acquire Gobert over the offseason, they have obviously fallen well short of expectations thus far.
Additionally, Gobert is averaging a measly 12.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in the month of November. With signs of dysfunction elsewhere on the roster as well, you almost have to side with the fans here.
