Kyle Anderson Already Knows How to Fix Minnesota's Gobert Problem

Kyle Anderson isn't a stranger to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is his second stint with the team, and his familiarity with the entire organization is showing up immediately in how he talks about the team's offense.

Slo-Mo returned with a clear diagnosis: Minnesota isn't maximizing Rudy Gobert, and it's costing them points they should be getting.

Gobert is one of the best defenders in the NBA and has been for some time. He changes how opposing teams play because no one wants to challenge him at the rim with his shot-altering and shot-erasing abilities. The offensive end, however, is a bit more of a process for him. 

Rudy has never been known as the strongest isolation scorer. Even his biggest fans would tell you that. Minnesota hasn't been consistent enough this season at reading the defense and getting the ball in Gobert's hands at the right times. When the direct pass to Rudy isn't there, the ball stalls instead of swinging to the open man.

Anderson spotted that pattern watching film from the outside, long before he suited back up in Minnesota.

"Even if he's not getting the ball or scoring, the gravity he has pulling that low man in — or us being able to find someone on the perimeter — is big time," Anderson said. "You also have to just live with when it doesn't work. You move on to the next play."

The part about moving on and not dwelling on mistakes is arguably the key part of that. Staying process-oriented after a broken read is exactly the kind of discipline Minnesota needs around Gobert.

Anderson came back to Minnesota having been through a difficult stretch in Utah. His role shrunk, the organizational situation was uncertain, and it would have been easy to check out mentally. But if you know Slo-Mo, you know that's the last thing he's going to do. 

He instead treated that difficult period as preparation. Staying in shape and staying locked in so he'd be ready whenever the right opportunity came. That opportunity is here now. Finch's system gives him ball-handling duties and real decision-making authority, much like what Spoelstra gave him in Miami.

Anderson knows this environment and he knows his teammates. He knows what Finch wants. Having a mental head start is already showing up in how quickly he's contributing after the trade.

Slo-Mo isn't being asked to reinvent himself in Minnesota. Quite the contrary. He's doing exactly what he does best, in a system built for it, next to one of the most talented bigs in the league. Kyle Anderson was a great fit for this team when he initially re-joined the squad, but his impact is only growing more apparent with time.