“Worse Than Middleschoolers” – Rudy Gobert Mercilessly Trolled for Pre-game Ball Handling Routine

Timberwolves star man Rudy Gobert faces the wrath of the NBA fans for his poor show of ball-handling during his pre-game warmup.

“Worse Than Middleschoolers” – Rudy Gobert Mercilessly Trolled for Pre-game Ball Handling Routine

Rudy Gobert (Image via FirstSportz)

NBA players typically stick to their standard pre-game routines—but Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals called for something extra. Minnesota Timberwolves’ defensive anchor Rudy Gobert decided to elevate his warmup by dribbling two basketballs at once. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. He lost control, and the moment quickly went viral across the NBA community.

The fans were quick to come across Gobert’s botched ball-handling technique and let out their reactions on it. In addition, Gobert had an off day in general as he was kept quiet throughout Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Gobert’s shortcomings were not limited to poorly executed warmup dribbles. On the offensive end, the Thunder shut him down totally.

The big man played 17 minutes in the first half. Gobert, however, did not score in the opening two quarters and only attempted two shots throughout the first half. On the rebounding end, Gobert demonstrated his strength. He finished the first half by grabbing six rebounds. But with seven boards, Anthony Edwards led his side.

Gobert has won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award four times, tying him for the most in league history with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace. However, he has not been performing up to the standards in this ongoing Western Conference Finals against the Thunder. Eventually, the Thunder overcame the Timberwolves in Game 2 of this series, going 2-0 up.

Before the second WCF game, Gobert had voiced his displeasure with the Thunder’s lack of foul calls. But because of his poor offensive play, fans continued to mock him. The French big man will have to do more if he were to secure a result against the #1 seed, the OKC Thunder, in this particular series.

NBA fans stunned after witnessing Rudy Gobert’s pre-game ball-handling

For a four-time DPOY winner, dribbling with two basketballs should be an easy task. Although it wasn’t. Rudy Gobert failed to do so ahead of Game 2 against the Thunder. ESPN posted his video on the TikTok app, with the clip going viral within a few minutes after it was posted.

Many fans took to various social media platforms to put forward their views on Gobert‘s ball-handling technique. Some fans also roasted him for his overall performance in the ongoing series against the Thunder. One fan wrote on X, “ni**a worse than middle schoolers.” Check out some of the reactions below:

Aside from this, Gobert has had a great time at the Timberwolves. However, there is one stat that would get all the Wolves’ fans in disbelief. Gobert has made 18 three-point attempts in his career, including playoffs, since joining the NBA in 2013. None of those attempts would work out for him. A shocking stat for a player of his standards.

Rudy Gobert makes the NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Gobert, the big man for the Minnesota Timberwolves, was recognized as one of the league’s top 10 defenders on Thursday when he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Gobert was selected to the second team for the first time and for the eighth time overall for the All-Defensive Team.

His recent poor showing in the WCF Finals does not take away the hard work he has put in throughout the season. Hence, he got rewarded for it. Gobert produced 12.0 points on 66.9% shooting, 10.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.44 blocks per game in 72 games during the regular season.

The Wolves’ defense, which gave up the sixth-fewest points in the NBA (110.8) throughout the regular season, was anchored by Gobert, the 7-foot-1 Frenchman. He was third in the percentage of field goals allowed when competing in the paint (47% allowed) and had the eighth-best overall (defensive) rating (107.6) among players who played 30 minutes or more per game on average.

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