Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert is good at a lot of things on the basketball court, but shooting is not one of them. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is one of the NBA’s most feared rim protectors and is a strong finisher on offense, but no one in the league confuses him with having an elite or versatile scoring repertoire.
The 12-year veteran is spending some of this offseason trying to expand his offensive game and shooting form. That includes working with shooting coach Chris Matthews, otherwise known as the ‘Lethal Shooter‘. This video, posted on Instagram, starts with the area that makes the most sense for Gobert to work on — the 3-10 foot range — but steadily expands to pick-and-pops and pull-up midrange jumpers.
The interior work is genuinely crucial for Gobert, as he shot just 32.4% from 3-10 feet last season, per Basketball-Reference. Improving his footwork and creating a more consistent release in that area would be a big step forward for his game and would make him a more impactful offensive player in Minnesota.
The pick-and-pops and off-dribble work seem far less important than what he’ll actually do in the NBA. But can you imagine Anthony Edwards‘ reaction if Gobert tried to pop instead of roll after a screen or faced up a defender at the top of the key and shot a two-dribble pull-up?
Gobert joins a long line of non-shooting bigs who have put out social media videos of them working on their shot — one of the all-time favorites being Mitchell Robinson going crazy in pickup games. That work rarely translates to the NBA court, but it serves as a reminder that the worst shooters in the NBA are still insanely talented basketball players in an empty gym or in a pickup run. Life’s very different, however, when other 7-footers guard you. But who knows? Perhaps we’ll see “stretch big Rudy Gobert” become a real thing in Year 13.
