Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rudy Gobert came under criticism from former NFL champion-turned-analyst Shannon Sharpe. The Frenchman, after winning the DPOY for the fourth time, couldn’t stop the Denver Nuggets, who seized a 3-2 lead with a 112-97 win in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Gobert couldn’t get past Nikola Jokic in the battle of the bigs on Tuesday night, as the Nuggets superstar propped up 40 points and 13 rebounds. Gobert, meanwhile, ended his evening with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Taking to Twitter/X, Sharpe responded to a fan who asked what Gobert must do when he faced a player with guard skills like Magic Johnson and the offensive prowess of Hakeem Olajuwon.
“4x DPOY, figure it out”
The Nuggets lost the first two games in round 2 but have rebounded strongly, winning three games in a row. Rudy Gobert and the T-Wolves now have to win Game 6 to stay alive in the season.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas slams Rudy Gobert for missing Game 2 for prioritizing the birth of his child
Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas had social media in a tizzy when he lambasted Rudy Gobert for skipping Game 2 of the playoffs skirmish between the Timberwolves and the Nuggets.
Gobert played in Game 1 of the Timberwolves’ Western Conference semifinal series but missed Game 2 Monday because his son was born earlier in the day. Despite his absence, Minnesota won the contest to lead 2-0.
Arenas believed that Gobert should have participated in the game. On his Gil’s Arena Podcast, he said:
“It’s a baby, bro. It’s gonna be there when you get back, we hope. I’m just saying, the baby, whatever you think you about to do, he going to be asleep. I get you want to be with your wife and smile and stuff, and your good NBA health care insurance, it’s because of you playing.”
In the ongoing playoffs, Gobert is averaging 12.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. His last five games saw him average 10.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. The regular season saw him average 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
With the action shifting back to Minnesota for a decisive Game 6, all eyes will be on four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert to see the level of impact he can have on Minnesota.
