New pivot of Wolves, soon expected at EuroBasket with the jersey of the French team, Rudy Gobert has a very busy summer 2022. But between two cards, three phone calls and a basketball camp in Saint-Quentin, his hometown, the three-time NBA Defender of the Year kindly gave us a few minutes. Moving atmosphere, snow wolves and sweet France.
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Hi Rudy! Already, how are you?
Yes, I’m fine and you?
Nickel, you must be quite busy so we take 10 minutes to talk a bit about your news.
Super, let’s do it !
How was it your basketball camp in Saint-Quentinare you still there or have you already moved elsewhere?
Here I am in Paris, and the camp was indeed in Saint-Quentin. It was really great, it went really well. It was very cool to see all these children, there were 130 of them on this camp. And as usual we had 2 camp MVPs, both of whom won a trip to…Minnesota next year!
Yes it’s true, besides it must be weird for you as a sentence, after spending years saying that the children were going to join you in Salt Lake City.
Serious, serious. It’s funny you see, it changes.
I wanted to ask you this first question. You’ve spent your entire NBA life in one city and one team, Utah. And there you are transferred. But how does a move to the NBA go? Do you make the boxes yourself?
Well listen I haven’t started yet. We haven’t started packing yet. First we wait to find a place to land, see where I will live on site. But here I am in France. Well after you see, I don’t even have to doubt what I’m going to take, I think I’m going to take the main thing with me and then after the rest… I’m quite used to traveling you know, so good , the rest will be taken care of.
I was asking you the question because often, when we see a transfer from outside, we immediately think of changing jerseys and teammates, but we forget everything there is to put in place in terms of moving and logistics. And you, in addition, have spent your entire pro life in the NBA in one city.
Yeah (laughs), it sure is a change. It’s a whole new adventure.
Let’s go into the basketball detail, on the field. One of the feelings that emerges with this transfer, on the Minnesota side, is that it feels like a huge “ fuck le small-ball« expressed by management. As if they were saying, in a way: we don’t care, we have Rudy Gobert, we have Karl-Anthony Towns, you want to criticize us on our size and well already take care of us. Do you have that same feeling?
Yes, that’s the same feeling I have. And that’s why when Bouna (Editor’s note: Bouna Ndiaye, his agent) told me 2-3 days before the transfer that Minnesota wanted me and wanted to associate me with KAT, he asked me what I thought about it. I asked him to give me a day to think about it, and the next day I told him I was hot. Because for me, in terms of sporting challenge, it’s the best challenge I could get. Whether individually or collectively. And as you say, compared to this association, you see that many teams play in small-ball in the NBA. But in fact size is still too important in basketball (laughs). The important thing is above all to know how to use this size.
There was another type of reaction that we could see following the transfer, and it had to do with the number of shots you were going to be able to take in Minnesota. “Could that be a problem? Will he have enough shots? These are questions that people have asked. How do you respond to such questions?
Let’s just say I don’t know where that reasoning comes from, to begin with. Because it all depends on how we are going to play. But on a personal level, I have already spoken a lot with my new coach, Chris Finch, and he wants to give me the ball in my hands. Even before the transfer, what he said to my agent and what my agent reported to me is that the guys want to use you what. They don’t want to take you home to just be the best defender in the world. Which is already very good eh, but they want to bring you into their team because they know what you are capable of in attack if you are used and if you are used well. You should also know that the assistant General Manager of Wolves is Dell Demps. And he was a former assistant coach at the Jazz this year. So he too played a big part in this transfer. He really wanted to bring me on his team and he felt that I was going to be able to be used in a little different way than in Utah.
So somewhere, this story of shoots, it’s a false topic? If people take the numbers and say: wait he was going for 8 shots a game at Utah and he had a lot of balls in the post…
… uh, a lot of balloons at the post in Utah, I don’t really know where they’re going to get that from (laughs).
(laughs) You know Twitter! But more generally, have you been able to see with Chris Finch how to be used at best, knowing that there are real options with the playmakers already present on site?
Yes that’s it. And then, once again, it all depends on the principles of the game. The coach wants to give me the ball in my hands, he wants to put me in different situations whether it’s high post or low post,… In fact, we’ll be able to do lots of things. And that for me is really exciting. I can’t wait to be able to show all this, and continue to evolve as a player.
If I’m not talking nonsense, you had Vincent Collet as coach all your career in the France team, and Quin Snyder as coach all your career in the NBA except for a rookie year under Tyrone Corbine?
Yeah I had a year from Tyrone Corbine, but I was in the G-League. So then I had 8 years in Utah under Quin Snyder.
So that’s really another big change. You know it better than us, many players know the instability in the NBA, you it was rather the opposite so far. You told me that you had already spoken with Coach Finch, what did you discuss in addition to this offensive aspect?
We mainly discussed the human aspect of our relationship. For me, that’s the most important thing. Honestly, we certainly talked about basketball but we talked a lot about life outside the courts, everything that is “extra-basketball”. We talked about life in general, and I think everything has to start from there. There must be good communication and a good human-to-human connection. And after basketball level, here we know that he has knowledge, and I also have a lot of experience in this game. So we know that behind things will work, it is already important that there is a good line of communication and just getting along as human beings. But quite frankly, I’m pleasantly surprised by what he is as a person, whether it’s him or the coaching staff around him, the management at the level above…
Do you feel that there is a real determination, at all levels, in taking it to the next level in Minnesota?
Clearly. Clearly, you sense that they didn’t bring me back here for nothing. They have a real goal in mind and I have the same. And that’s what’s beautiful, that’s what motivates me, you see. This is what is super exciting on a personal level, I arrive in a situation where the goal is not to take the temperature for two years. So of course we will learn a lot of things, with each match we will learn more about ourselves, we will get to know each other too. But the goal is to aim as high as possible this year.
In Utah, I beg to say, but there were veterans like Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, even Rudy Gay and previously Jeff Green on the team. There when you land in the locker room in Minnesota, it is you in fact the daron. Do you have the feeling that there is a change of role for you also at this level? Because you’re going to be one of the oldest players if I don’t talk nonsense.
Yeah exactly, exactly. Plus I’m 30 now…
You got old, that’s it (laughs).
(laughs) It’s definitely going to change me on that too. But it’s a responsibility I enjoy. And it allows me to continue to reach milestones as a player and as a leader in the NBA. Coming to a new locker room and trying to have a positive influence on everyone is exciting.
We got a glimpse of your deal with Chris Finch during your introductory press conference. Besides, we set up the Wolves YouTube channel with the community, the channel moderator didn’t understand anything, it was quite funny. My question: what was this story of screens? Because Finch said, jokingly, that he was happy to have your screens on his team now?
In fact, we had dinner together the day before this press conference. And… (laughs) actually it makes me laugh because Coach Finch told me, every time I played against Minnesota and therefore him against Utah, he constantly complained about my screens. Throughout the game. He kept telling the referees that I was putting up mobile screens and stuff like that. And so what he was saying to me and which made us laugh is that if from the first match with Wolves there is a referee who whistles mobile screen against me… there, on the other hand, he really risks upset. So that’s the little story.
Last question, a lot of people have come back to this quote of Anthony Edwards, where he said in particular that you didn’t scare him and that for him it was a guy like Kristaps Porzingis who intimidated him on the contrary. Have you discussed it with Ant or not yet?
No, I haven’t talked to him about it yet. We chatted a bit, but I think I’ll tell him more in person.
You have to tell him face to face!
Bah at the training camp when I will counter him, I will tell him. I’ll ask him between me and Porzingis what happens.
What is next for you? Are you going to try to see each other with new teammates or go to training camp?
Well listen, I’m not going back to Minneapolis before the EuroBasket with the French team. I’m going to stay in Europe until the competition, I can’t move too much. But then, around mid-September, I’ll be able to move again, I’ll go back there, I think I’ll go to Salt Lake City, and then I’ll go directly to Minneapolis.
Great ! Thanks to you Rudy, we wish you good luck and we’ll find you very soon with the blue jersey, for the EuroBasket at the beginning of September.
Thanks guys, and see you soon!
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Thanks: Rudy Gobert and his team