Rudy Gobert gave some big praise to his Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, who is a ‘hard worker.’
The Minnesota Timberwolves secured a 4-1 series win over the LA Lakers after they handed them a 103-96 loss in Game 5.
It was Rudy Gobert who starred on that occasion as he scored 27 points and 24 rebounds to get a win over his rival Luka Doncic, who previously got the better of the French man.
Gobert was happy that he got the win over Doncic, but was also appreciative of his teammates for getting the job done.
Another player, who was brilliant throughout the series for the T-Wolves was Julius Randle.
James Worthy gave Randle his flowers after another dominant performance from the forward.
Gobert, who is a four time Defensive Player of the Year also acknowledged the brilliance of Randle and heaped praise on the work he has put in.
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesRudy Gobert lauds Randle for his work ethic
Prior to Randle’s move to the Wolves, he was part of the New York Knicks, while Gobert was on the Utah Jazz roster.
The two players used to battle it out as rivals, but since they have been teammates things have changed and the two have been really appreciative of each other.
Gobert said: “He’s more quiet, in a way [than KAT], but then he gets really funny when you interact with him, so it’s nice.
“I think he’s a great man. We have a PT that we both work with, that we know. So I kind of knew that I was hearing good things about him as a person, but I was only always competing with him, and he was always throwing elbows in my jaw and stuff like that.
“I was like, must be a good guy, but on the court he competes, and he probably thought the same about me, in a way, but as we got to know him, we start to appreciate who he is.
“He’s a great father, he’s a super hard worker, he’s really dedicated, and I have a lot of respect for that.”
There were moments at the start of the season where the two seemed to have problems playing together.
However, as the season has progressed, Randle has settled in well and is now one of the key pieces on the team.
Rudy Gobert and Randle will be key to the Timberwolves
Gobert and Randle are both important players in the front court of the Timberwolves.
They are both physical players and their size is what helped them massively in the series against the Lakers.
Anthony Edwards is certainly elite and the leader of the team, but Gobert and Randle are the experienced players, who the Timberwolves need in the playoffs.
Edwards motivated Randle to take more shots during the series against the Lakers and the forward responded well to that in the closeout game.
But what the 30-year-old did even better was defend brilliantly.
Gobert was criticised for the lack of offense he offered, but he showed what he could do in Game 5 and Chris Finch will be hoping the same from him in the next round.
If the duo play well, T-Wolves will have a better chance of winning as Edwards alone playing at an elite level would not be enough, especially in the playoffs.