Rudy Gobert responds to 0-for-13 skid, viral clip on Wolves' bench

Rudy Gobert’s .656 career field goal percentage is the second-best mark in NBA history among players with at least 400 games, trailing only DeAndre Jordan. The vast majority of his shots are dunks or other attempts near the rim, and while the 14-year veteran has made his name on the defensive end of the floor, he has a long track record of being able to put the ball in the basket from up close.Over the Timberwolves’ last two games, Gobert has taken 13 shots and made none of them. He was 0 for 9 on Monday in Cleveland — the worst shooting game of his career — and 0 for 4 on Wednesday against the Warriors.“Just a rough couple days, man,” Gobert said after practice on Thursday. “Rough couple days. A lot of things that I gotta finish and I didn’t finish. Just gotta keep putting in the work and finishing strong, especially around the rim. That’s really important for our team and I hold myself to the highest standard for that. Definitely gotta be better.”Two of Gobert’s shots on Monday were three-pointers, including one early in the shot clock. Despite knocking them down in practice, he’s now 0 for 27 in his NBA career from beyond the arc. The bigger issue is Gobert’s missed layups. Catching the ball, touch on shots, and overall fluidity can be challenges for him at times. The solution might be to go up stronger and dunk the ball more often.“Sometimes I tell myself ‘Why didn’t I dunk that?’ too,” Gobert said. “It depends. Most important is to be decisive, be strong. I gotta be more decisive, more balanced, more poised.“I personally hold myself at the highest standard, higher than anybody has for me. After a rough game, as a competitor and as someone that wants to be great, you always gotta process that. For me, I learned how to process it in a healthy way and keep trusting the work. It’s a long season. There’s a lot of ups and downs in a season, just like in life. Never too high, never too low, that’s the mindset.”Gobert’s track record suggests there’s little reason to panic. You don’t shoot 65 percent for 13 seasons and then forget how to put the ball in the hoop. Part of his early-season struggles could be related to the adjustment period of learning how to play with new teammates like LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.“That’s part of the NBA,” Gobert said. “You have a couple new guys coming in. There’s gonna be tough games, there’s gonna be adversity, there’s gonna be growing pains. Keep trusting one another, keep talking to one another, keep putting in the work every day. Today was a great day. Five games, so we got 77 more games, then playoffs.”Speaking of Ball and Kuminga, the Wolves’ two new starters were seen somewhat animatedly talking to and gesturing at Gobert on Minnesota’s bench during a timeout late in Wednesday’s game. The clip went viral on social media. Asked about it on Thursday, Gobert said he hadn’t seen it and didn’t think much of it.“Sometimes people make an assumption of what’s going on and it’s totally something different, like with the angles and stuff,” he said. “There might be some of that. I didn’t feel any animosity. There was some frustration, for sure. I was frustrated, they were frustrated. Those guys have been great. The communication has been good. I didn’t feel like there was any disrespect or anything like that. Just guys that want to win.”Gobert is no stranger to tension with teammates. He famously took a swing at Kyle Anderson on the bench in 2023. This was nothing like that, he said.“I’d like to see the images, see what it looks like,” Gobert said. “In the moment, I didn’t feel like there was anything bad. And there’s been bad things in the past. That wasn’t anything bad.”Related ArticlesAnthony Edwards undergoes arthroscopic knee debridementJust 5 games in, Wolves’ frustration with Rudy Gobert is already simmeringNaz Reid mysteriously benched for entire 2nd by Hornets head coachWith Ant on the shelf, Jaden McDaniels’ All-Star opportunity has arrivedThis story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Timberwolves section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.