T-Wolves' Rudy Gobert Addresses Rebounding Struggles: 'I Have to Be Better'

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert acknowledged his low rebounding totals to open the 2024-25 season.

"I have to be better," Gobert said Friday, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The three-time All-Star is pulling down 10.2 rebounds per game this season, marking his lowest average since his 2014-15 campaign with the Utah Jazz. Gobert has also failed to record double-digit rebounds in three of his past four games.

It's a worrying trend for Gobert, which started during the 2024 playoffs.

While the Timberwolves' overall postseason run was impressive, making a Western Conference Finals appearance, their center struggled to remain a force on the glass. In 15 playoff contests last season, Gobert recorded just 9.8 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game.

While rebounding totals can have a high variance on a nightly basis, his effort on the boards has still noticeably declined. This season, Gobert's averages of 3.5 contested rebounds and 1.9 box-outs per game both represent a decrease compared to his 2023-24 campaign (via NBA.com).

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch urged the 32-year-old to crash the glass after he failed to secure a late rebound during a 116-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 15.

"I think Rudy's gotta go get the ball in the air," Finch said, via SI.com's Joe Nelson. "He's trying to play a hand-to-hand combat game and he gets tied up too much doing that. He does get fouled quite a bit down there doing that, but it's really a hard one because you don't know who's initiated that. I'd like to see him go get the ball in the air, snag it."

Gobert has averaged 11.2 rebounds in wins this season compared to just 9.1 rebounds per game in losses (via Basketball Reference).

Minnesota hasn't been able to build upon its conference finals appearance, currently sitting at No. 8 in the West standings with a 23-21 record.