For years now, Gobert has been a safety net for Minnesota when things aren’t going well, particularly against cellar dwellers. His interior dominance creates a high floor. If opponents can’t score at the rim and have to battle for every rebound, Minnesota automatically becomes three times more difficult to beat.

The prevailing narrative was that Julius Randle is a disappointment in the playoffs. No matter how many Defensive Player of the Year Awards Rudy Gobert won, he remained constant target of criticism from most well-known NBA commentators.

Rudy Gobert recorded two playoff career-highs to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 and advance to the NBA Western Conference Semifinals.