“We are still far from the team we want to be”

In the whole meeting against the Warriors this night Rudy Gobert looked like a giant facing the Lilliputians. In the absence of Draymond Green, his best enemy, but also Al Horford French headquarters from Minnesota imposed his physicality against a young Quinten Post and a Golden State team that lacked size.

After a slow start to the season, Rudy Gobert is confirming his increase in strength. Thanks to him, the Wolves continue their ascent in the Western Conference standings. Without Anthony Edwards, left to rest, his impact was decisive. We caught up with him after the game to take the pulse of this Minnesota team, discuss the development of Jaden McDaniels and hear his reaction to Stephen Curry’s pregame magic trick.

Rudy, you lead by 12 points at the end of the game and Stephen Curry is on fire. How did you manage to regain control of the match and win?

We stayed focused despite this adversity. We knew they probably had the last one run in them, especially with Steph (Curry). You should always expect him to hit crazy shots and that will lift the mood in the room. And that happened, but we managed to stay calm and move forward. We locked down the jump to not give them another chance, and then we made less mistakes in defense. We made them work on everything. And on the other hand, we stayed aggressive, we didn’t let their feedback change our mentality.

You had a clear size advantage tonight. Was your pre-match game plan to attack them from the inside to wear them down?

Not really. The game plan was first and foremost to stay true to our identity, especially without Ant. I think the guys did a good job in the way they attacked the basket and found openings. Either for me — I was often open below the circle — but also to get a lot of 3-pointers thanks to these fixations. As for me, I tried to hurt them inside and put pressure on them in the jump.

Winning with a state of mind

You played with a lot of power tonight, on both ends of the court, but especially in attack. You really left your mark on the meeting. How do you feel in an attacking team?

I think our offensive cohesion is improving from match to match. Jaden and Julius can find me better and I try to complete the offers they give me. This puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defense because it is harder to adapt. And when the help comes, it opens up the 3-point shot and creates a lot of space.

Rob Dillingham and Terence Shannon Jr. got playing time and a very good passing game early in the fourth quarter, after more complicated sequences late in the third. Is it important to be able to count on them when you have a few players out?

Both are young, learning a lot. It’s great for them to have some play time. I always tell them that the most important thing, when they are on the field, is to bring something to the team, no matter what it is, because there won’t always be points.

For Rob, it’s shifting the tempo, setting up the game, finding everyone, making the right passes. For TJ, it’s mostly defensively: understanding how he can impact the game defensively without making too many mistakes, being a player who can bring something other than scoring. And in attack we need him to give us speed and explosiveness. It does us good, and we saw that tonight in the last quarter.

You have already experienced several similar game endings this season. It didn’t always work out for you. What was different tonight?

Even if we wanted to win these other matches, it gave us collective experience. I’m really proud of the way we handled the end of tonight’s match. We could lose concentration, play personal to stop the bleeding or make mistakes out of frustration. It was the opposite: we got through it by staying together and that allowed us to make the difference in the last two minutes.

Donte (DiVincenzo) was clumsy at the beginning of the match, but his skill at the end of the match brought the victory.

We trust him. Throughout the match, I kept telling him that he should not hesitate to shoot. He knows his qualities. I think two offensive rebounds in the same possession, before he made the 3-pointer, allowed him to find the trigger. It’s a bit like our team: if we lack success, we have to find other ways to make an impact. Putting in the effort will ultimately reward you individually, but it’s also contagious and energizes the whole team.

What is your take from these first 25 matches?

If we look at the win-loss record (16-9), you might think it’s not that bad, but I think we’re still far from the team we want to be if we want to be champions, if we want to achieve our goal. You have to keep growing, keep progressing. There are three or four matches that we didn’t take and that we really should have taken. It’s evolution. You have to keep learning and keep the right mentality. Tonight, in the state of mind, it is a very good win for us because it was not easy to achieve.

Jaden McDaniels’ huge improvement

It’s been a real pleasure to see the evolution of Jaden McDaniels this season. He arrived in the NBA with undeniable physical qualities. He had all the attributes to become a good defender. After two or three seasons, he now has a safe 3-point shot, and this season he shows the ability to be a ball carrier, to play pick-and-roll, and above all, to be patient in making the right decisions…

Honestly, in recent months the way he passes the ball… well, mostly to me, because I see how he attacks and how he reads situations, the progress he’s made is incredible! He’s really starting to see everything: on a pick-and-roll read, or when he attacks the circle, he can see a lob, or tonight the little passes he gives me (editor’s note, mimics passes behind the defense). It gives us a new dimension. He has a level of confidence he’s never had before. And it’s all his job. I see him, I see how he works. He works very hard. And it also works on the mental aspect, which is very important.

Inevitably, we remember his slam into the wall…

Yes, yes (laughs). Well, there’s more work to do! It’s not over (laughs)! But everything is better and better.

With Mike Conley on the bench and less playing time, you don’t have a true leader on your team. It gives other players a chance to have the ball in their hands, but do you lack an organizer?

It takes a little bit more from everyone, especially at the end of the match. As I told you, we lost a few matches that we could have won, mainly because of the management at the end of the match…

(Naz Reed interrupts us by repeating out loud, “Good evening! Good evening!”)

That’s why he came to Paris this summer. Back to your question, it’s almost a blessing in disguise, because it requires more concentration and more communication.

Before the match, our eyes met after Stephen Curry’s incredible shot from the tunnel. I saw you shaking your head, your staff was as dumbfounded as the rest of the fans. You’ve been playing against him for years now: does it still surprise you?

It’s crazy… Nothing is impossible. So. He believes when he shoots, regardless of the shot. He has unwavering faith, and it fits. It shows the strength of the human spirit.

Comments collected in San Francisco.