Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert Calls Out Teammates For Lack Of Effort
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert called out his teammates’ lack of effort following a 119-115 home loss to the floundering Pelicans on Friday.
“At some point, if the players don’t have accountability, someone has to have accountability for the players,” Gobert said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’m on straight effort. I’m just talking straight effort. I’m not even getting to the basketball side of things, like there’s always mistakes are a part of the game, but the effort to me for a team that wants to play for a championship, it’s unacceptable.”
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year didn’t mention any player in particular. However, Krawczynski noted that while the team’s other stars — Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle — scored a combined 59 points, they didn’t appear locked in on the other end of the floor.
Gobert implored the coaches to bench players if they’re not giving their all.
“It should start with ourselves, but it seems like we don’t have that, so I think at some point (it has to come) from the coaches,” Gobert said. “It’s not an easy position for a coach to take guys out of the game. It’s not something that you want to do, but I think if the players don’t show any effort, at some point, no matter how talented we are as a team, if you don’t have that, you just can’t be a winning team.”
Minnesota has lost eight of its last 15 games, ranking 18th in the league defensively during that span. Gobert didn’t give himself a free pass after Pelicans forward Zion Williamson powered for 29 points, mostly near the rim.
“It starts with me. If I’m not showing effort, bench me,” Gobert said. “Take me out of the game. Everybody else will follow. Our best players, leaders, if we don’t show any effort, it doesn’t matter if you score 50, we’re not going to win.”
At 32-21, the Timberwolves sit in sixth place of the Western Conference standings, barely above the play-in line.
“We want to be a championship team. We want to lift that trophy in June,” Gobert said. “This is a lesson that we need to get right now. It starts at the top.”
Wembanyama, Thompson Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for January, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
After missing a pair of games to open the month, Wembanyama suited up for San Antonio’s next 13 contests and averaged 8.2 defensive rebounds and 2.2 blocks per night — both of those figures ranked second in the Western Conference for January, per the league. While the Spurs posted a modest 7-6 record during those 13 games, their defensive rating during that stretch was 107.5, which ranked first among Western Conference teams.
The strong month has firmly placed Wembanyama back in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, though he can’t afford to miss many more games if he wants to remain award-eligible. He has appeared in 35 of the Spurs’ first 49 games and must play in 30 of the last 33 to qualify for DPOY and other end-of-season honors.
Wembanyama was selected for the Defensive Player of the Month award over fellow Western Conference nominees Kris Dunn and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Rockets guard Amen Thompson (Twitter link).
Amen’s brother Ausar Thompson of the Pistons has been recognized as the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for January, according to the league.
While he’s not a rim protector like Wembanyama, the Pistons wing wreaked havoc on the defensive end of the court last month by averaging a league-leading 2.4 steals per game, along with 4.2 deflections per game across 14 starts. Detroit went 10-4 in January and ranked first in the NBA with a 104.8 defensive rating.
The other Eastern Conference nominees for Defensive Player of the Month were Knicks forward OG Anunoby, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Warriors center Alex Sarr, and Thompson’s teammate Isaiah Stewart, who won the award in December.
This is only the second season that the Defensive Player of the Month award has existed, but Wembanyama is a two-time winner, having also earned recognition for his defense in November 2024. It’s the first time Thompson claimed the honor.
Injury Notes: Reid, Giddey, M. Wagner, Alvarado, H. Jones
Big man Naz Reid, who was starting in place of Rudy Gobert, was ruled out after playing just five minutes in Saturday’s loss at San Antonio due to soreness in his left shoulder, the Timberwolves announced (via Twitter).
It’s unclear if Reid, the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year, will miss additional time as a result of the shoulder injury.
The 26-year-old forward/center had been playing some of his best basketball of the season in the four games leading up to Saturday, averaging 21.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per night on .604/.577/.700 shooting during that brief stretch (29.8 minutes per contest).
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Bulls guard Josh Giddey has been assigned to the G League’s Windy City Bulls as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, per the team (Twitter link). Assuming Sunday’s practice goes well, Giddey should be back in action either Tuesday against the Clippers or Thursday at Minnesota, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
- While there’s no indication that he experienced a setback, Magic center Moritz Wagner was ruled out of Sunday’s game vs. Memphis with what the team called left knee injury management (Twitter link). The German big man just made his season debut last Sunday after missing most of 2024/25 with a torn ACL in his left knee.
- A pair of trade candidates for the Pelicans continue to be sidelined with injuries. Guard Jose Alvarado will miss his seventh consecutive game Sunday at Houston due to a left oblique strain, while forward Herbert Jones remains out with a right ankle sprain (link to injury report). Jones, who made the All-Defensive First Team in 2023/24, will miss his 14th game as a result of the injury.
Injury Notes: Mavericks, Avdija, Edwards, Gobert, MPJ
The Mavericks will be without eight players for Saturday’s matchup with Utah, the team announced (via Twitter). In addition to Dante Exum, Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg (left ankle sprain), Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain), D’Angelo Russell (illness) and P.J. Washington (personal reasons) will also be sidelined today.
It’s the second straight missed game for Flagg, the top pick in last year’s draft. The only relatively unexpected absences were Washington, who was initially listed as probable with what the team called right ankle injury management, and Russell, who was a late scratch.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija will miss his third straight game Saturday against the Lakers due to a lower back strain, the team confirmed (Twitter link). Avdija, who suffered the injury on January 11, was initially listed as doubtful. On a brighter note, Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday are both probable to suit up after initially being considered questionable.
- Star guard Anthony Edwards will return to action on Saturday after a two-game absence due to right foot injury management, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link). Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who is dealing with a left hip contusion, is questionable to play at San Antonio. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), Gobert seemed to be moving OK following Friday’s loss in Houston, but it is a quick turnaround.
- The Nets won’t have Michael Porter Jr. (rest) or Drake Powell (left knee injury management) available for Sunday’s game at Chicago, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Sunday is the front end of a back-to-back for Brooklyn — the team hosts Phoenix on Monday. Porter was also rested under similar circumstances last weekend.
Western Notes: Sabonis, Kuminga, Gobert, Pelicans
Domantas Sabonis made a solid return to action on Friday, as the Kings big man posted 13 points, six rebounds and five assists while coming off the bench in a win over Washington. Sabonis missed 27 games due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.
“His energy was good,” Kings coach Doug Christie said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He ran the floor well. He looked really good. I thought he got a little gassed in my opinion at one point, but fantastic.”
Sabonis was relieved to get back in action.
“I’m just happy I was able to play,” Sabonis said. “You really miss it when you’re gone for so long.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr admits the Jonathan Kuminga trade demand is a difficult situation for all parties involved, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff,” Kerr said. “It is what it is. Difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of this job. We just keep moving forward. But it’s a tough situation and I don’t really have much to add.” Kuminga was in attendance for a rare home shootaround at Chase Center before the Warriors played the Knicks. Once reporters were allowed in, Kuminga sprinted off the court without comment.
- Rudy Gobert had a nightmarish outing on Friday and he took the blame for the Timberwolves‘ loss to the Rockets. The veteran center made just two of 10 free throws, committed two crucial turnovers and made some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes in the late going, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. “Just a lot of plays, man. Mistakes. Free throws. A lot of things that I can control,” Gobert said. “I definitely cost us the game. I take responsibility for that. I’ve got to be better.”
- The Pelicans lost the battle of conference cellar-dwellers on Friday, falling to Indiana. The Pacers racked up 127 points, their third-highest total this season. “The biggest thing is they had 20 more shots on goal,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “We did enough offensively, even though I don’t think the second half was great offensively. But we just didn’t get enough stops.”
Northwest Notes: Avdija, Edwards, Gobert, Shannon Jr., Braun
Trail Blazers breakout star forward Deni Avdija won’t play on Tuesday against Golden State. He’s sidelined with lower back soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. Avdija, who is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, has appeared in all 40 of Portland’s previous games.
Another key Blazers player, forward Jerami Grant, is doubtful due to left Achilles tendonitis.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards won’t suit up on Tuesday against Milwaukee due to right foot injury maintenance, the team’s PR department tweets. This will be the eighth game Edwards has missed this season — he’ll be ineligible for postseason awards if he misses 10 more games. Center Rudy Gobert will also miss the game — he’s serving a one-game league suspension for accumulating too many flagrant fouls. Regarding Gobert’s suspension, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that the one-game ban will cost Gobert $201,149 (Twitter link). The Wolves will also receive a tax variance credit of $100,575.
- Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is making progress from his left foot abductor hallucis strain but there’s no timetable for his return, according to a team press release. Shannon will miss his 10th straight game this evening. The 2024 first-round pick has appeared in 22 games off the bench this season but has only averaged 4.5 points in 12.8 minutes per game.
- Nuggets guard Christian Braun will miss his second consecutive game due to a left ankle sprain. Braun warmed up to play against Milwaukee on Sunday but didn’t feel right and was ruled out, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. It’s a concerning development, considering Braun missed nearly two months of action with an ankle injury before returning earlier this month.
- The Thunder‘s Luguentz Dort is a late scratch for tonight’s key matchup with San Antonio due to left foot soreness, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.
Rudy Gobert Suspended For One Game
1:53pm: The league has confirmed Gobert’s suspension, which he’ll serve on Tuesday (Twitter link).
7:12am: Rudy Gobert will be suspended for one game due to his accumulation of flagrant fouls, reports The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (Twitter link).
Gobert was assessed a flagrant foul for a reckless closeout on a Victor Wembanyama three-point attempt in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game between the Timberwolves and the Spurs. Wembanyama came down on Gobert’s foot but, after flexing his ankle on the ground, appeared to be uninjured.
The call marked Gobert’s fifth flagrant foul this season, four of which are categorized as Flagrant Foul 1, and one Flagrant Foul 2, which occurred in a game against the Suns. That puts Gobert at six total flagrant foul points, which automatically earns him a one-game suspension.
Gobert figures to serve the suspension on Tuesday against the Bucks.
Northwest Notes: Topic, Blazers, Nnaji, Wolves, Harkless
Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Thunder guard Nikola Topic, shared an update on his client, telling the Serbian-based outlet Arena Sport TV that Topic has successfully completed chemotherapy to treat his testicular cancer, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
“The chemotherapy was successfully completed, and he is now returning to the training process, although he was active during the therapy as well,” Raznatovic said. “It’s hard to pinpoint a timeline, but I sincerely hope he gets minutes this year, not only in the G League but on the NBA floor as well, if everything goes the way it is right now.”
Word broke in October that Topic, a 2024 lottery pick who missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL injury, had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and was undergoing treatment. As Raznatovic acknowledges, there’s still no timeline for the 20-year-old to make his NBA debut, but this is a major positive development.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- The Trail Blazers intend to present a proposal to the Oregon state legislature next month to have all state income taxes from players and team employees (for both the Blazers and visiting teams) redirected from Oregon’s general fund to a $600MM renovation project for the Moda Center, reports Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required). One source who spoke to Oram about the proposal suggested it would help “guarantee the Blazers’ future” in Portland.
- Nuggets forward/center Zeke Nnaji hasn’t developed like the team hoped since signing a four-year, $32MM contract extension in October 2023, but with centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas sidelined, Nnaji has been giving the team solid minutes at the five, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Nnaji, who has five steals and six blocked shots in his past three games, is playing “amazing” defense, according to teammate Jamal Murray — head coach David Adelman didn’t disagree. “I don’t remember him moving this well,” Adelman said after Wednesday’s win over Boston. “…He guarded everybody in this game, because we were switching. Just cool to see him have some success. Obviously, he hasn’t been in the rotation.”
- The streaking Timberwolves have won four games in a row and now hold a top-four spot in the Western Conference. In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines the impact of center Rudy Gobert, writing that the big man is playing as well as he ever played in Minnesota, and notes that Anthony Edwards reached the 10,000-point mark on Thursday. Edwards was the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach that plateau, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
- Two-way player Elijah Harkless has appeared in just seven games for the Jazz so far this season and hasn’t seen any NBA action since November 18, but he has been thriving in the G League. Harkless was named the NBAGL’s Player of the Month for December after he averaged 28.3 points and 5.2 assists per game, per the league (Twitter link).
Holmgren, Stewart Named Defensive Players Of The Month
A Thunder player has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a second consecutive time. After guard Cason Wallace won the award for October/November, big man Chet Holmgren has earned the honor for December, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The Thunder, who entered December with a 20-1 record, have looked more mortal in recent weeks, winning nine of 13 games over the course of the month. However, they still posted the conference’s top defensive rating (106.2) in December, with Holmgren acting as the team’s anchor and rim protector.
Holmgren’s 2.0 blocks per game in December ranked second in the conference, while his 8.5 contested shots per game placed him seventh among Western players. Oklahoma City’s defense this past month was nearly six points per 100 possessions better when Holmgren was on the court (101.7) than when he wasn’t (107.6).
Clippers guard Kris Dunn and a trio of former Defensive Players of the Year – Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Draymond Green (Warriors), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) – were also nominated in the Western Conference, per the league (Twitter link).
An unlikely winner claimed the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month award for December, with Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart taking it home despite coming off the bench in 12 of his 13 games and averaging just 23.0 minutes per night during the past month.
Despite his limited role, Stewart ranked second in the East in blocks (2.2) and contested shots (9.4) per game, helping lead Detroit to a 9-4 record and the league’s third-best defensive rating (109.8) in December. The Pistons’ defensive rating with Stewart on the floor was 104.5, compared to 112.2 when he sat.
Knicks teammates OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, and Celtics guard Derrick White were the other nominees in the East. Notably, the Nets didn’t have a nominee despite posting the NBA’s best defensive rating (105.4) in December.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.