The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their four-game road trip into Texas on Friday, starting off with the Houston Rockets. Coming off a massive win against the Milwaukee Bucks down two of their key starters, the Timberwolves were set to be without Anthony Edwards again on Friday.

Despite all of that, the Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead, but poor free-throw shooting and an abundance of turnovers led to Minnesota losing 110-105. The free-throw woes were experienced by both sides, but Rudy Gobert was struggling the most, shooting just 2-of-10 from the line.

To no surprise, reporters were quick to ask Gobert on Friday night about his free-throw struggles, with the defensive standout shooting 50.6% from the line this season, the worst rate since his rookie season.

"I mean, I made 25 in a row, 23 in a row the other day, two days ago. I think it's just over think it. I think when you start to overthink...if you overthink, you lose the motion. I think when you're trying to make them too much, that's when you miss," Gobert said.

Gobert started off 2026 going perfect from the free-throw line in his first three games, but the performances after have dropped him to a 47.8% mark to start January. Even though he's leading the league in field goal percentage, the free throws are a clear problem for him this season.

"Just gotta keep working and not overthink, just go there and relax with confidence," he added.

Luckily, Gobert's value comes on the defensive end, as he's giving himself a strong chance to compete and win a fifth Defensive Player of the Year award, which would further solidify his case for the Hall of Fame. But if these free-throw struggles continue, the Timberwolves will have to make tough decisions come playoff time.

Hoping to look past this, the Timberwolves will turn around and match up with the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, with Gobert going up against his French teammate Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama does have the edge on him as a shooter, but both can control the game with their defensive presence.

After that, Minnesota closes out its road trip in Utah.

Obviously, Gobert won't be able to become a 70% or better free-throw shooter overnight, but he can try to put himself in situations where he won't be racking up trips to the free-throw line. A 2-of-10 performance is inexcusable, so the Timberwolves will hope he can shoot closer to his career average of 63%.