The French pivot shone during Minnesota’s crushing victory at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday (108-80), after a difficult period for the Wolves.
You shone against the Clippers with the assists (7 assists to his credit) in particular…
Rudy Gobert : When the ball moves well, everyone can shine. I tried not to force anything, to find my teammates, I did a good job, took the right shots. As for passing, I was a leader in my youth (laughs). It’s fun. I’m trying to be more active, to do this more regularly, to set the tone for the team. In defense you have to stay solid, I don’t risk interception with every action, but being disruptive helps our defense.
Your teammate Anthony Edwards railed against the lack of cohesion a few days ago…
He expressed his frustration. We had conversations in the locker room. We really looked into each other’s eyes and said we needed to refocus on the essential things. For us, it’s the defense, certain details. Everyone, for a while, was a little too concerned about the negative things that might happen during the basketball game. The shots that don’t go in, the whistles that aren’t there, the balls that don’t come. But in the end, it distracted us from our common goal and separated us as teammates. We really refocused on the essentials. Now, for us, the most important thing is to be consistent. Whatever happens, to never forget our identity.
What is your role in this locker room?
I try to always keep a clear mind, not to be overwhelmed by emotion. That is to say, to be a bit like a pillar which is there to stabilize everything a little. No matter what, for me, it’s truly actions that speak louder than words. In relation to my actions, I lead the team. On the mentality, on the intensity, on the consistency, on the work every day. Because in the end, that’s also the most important thing. It is to continue the work every day, collective, individual. Show that whatever happens, we continue to try to progress every day.
Does your conference final in the spring give you new responsibilities as a team?
When you lose four games in a row, for example, that’s not something a team that wants to play for the title should do. Despite that, despite the defeats we had, despite the difficult period we had, what I really liked was that we never stopped fighting. Even when we were down by 16 points, we came back into the match, we had a chance to win. For me, this is the most important. It’s about being resilient. Adversity happens no matter what. In lots of different ways. When it comes, don’t forget who you are. Continue to have confidence in each other and confidence in ourselves.
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2024-12-05 11:02:00