The basketball world is buzzing with Team USA winning the gold against France in the men’s and women’s leagues at the Olympics.
A big topic of discussion was when France decided to bench Rudy Gobert in the middle of the tournament.
Gobert had shown that he wasn’t making much use of his minutes on the court, eventually becoming a liability to his team. Power forward Guerschon Yabusele was a much more effective player in terms of scoring.
This could be looked at as a slow decline for Gobert, and Mavs superstar Luka Doncic might’ve contributed to this issue during the NBA season.
Gobert, one of the greatest defenders in NBA history has been talked about in sports media as of late, particularly for his inability to hold his job as a starter in the 2024 Olympics.
“To be taken out of the lineup or any other team in the Olympics as an NBA player, not named Team USA is kind of crazy,” Green said.
Gobert’s season ended against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. Gobert was famously trolled in Game 2 by Doncic after he knocked down a cold-blooded game-winning shot in Gobert’s face.
This has been an ongoing rivalry since 2022 when Doncic talked trash to Gobert after Gobert had thrown the basketball at Doncic.
Since then, Doncic has had the last laugh cooking Gobert in the 2022 NBA Playoffs when Gobert was with the Utah Jazz, and in the 2024 Western Conference Finals with Gobert in Minnesota.
It makes basketball fans scratch their heads when they see a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year getting embarrassed by the same guy in the regular season or playoffs.
Gobert has been a victim to some of the greatest guards that are just quicker than him, especially on the perimeter. Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Devin Booker have all exposed Gobert when the matchup starts outside the 3-point line.
Gobert in the Olympics just became unplayable. In the quarterfinals against Canada, Gobert had zero points and only played three minutes and 41 seconds on the court. He didn’t score again in the semi-finals against Germany and only played just over five minutes on the court, In the gold medal matchup against the USA, Gobert finished with two points.
For Mavs fans, their distaste for Gobert definitely grew in the Olympics as it seemed like Gobert hit Dwight Powell unnecessarily in the face with the basketball during a game. Mavs fans already weren’t fond of Gobert, and this made it worse.
Mavs fans cannot wait to see Gobert and the Timberwolves again, which will take place on Christmas Day in 2024.
Maybe this is just a bad stretch for Gobert, but either way, it’s not a good look right now for one of the greatest defenders of all-time. Only time will tell if Gobert can keep up with his elite defensive status in the upcoming NBA season. Either way, Doncic and the Mavs will look forward to Christmas Day.