Rudy Gobert Has Advice for New Timberwolves Co-Star LaMelo Ball

Anyone who watched guard LaMelo Ball push the ball up the floor over his first six seasons in Charlotte might be surprised by one of the first lessons he is getting from his new center, because it has nothing to do with speed.

Center Rudy Gobert is the one setting screens for Ball this fall, and when he was asked this week what he has learned about that job, he talked about patience and handed his new teammate some homework.

On Tuesday, Dane Moore, who covers the Minnesota Timberwolves, posted a video where the four-time Defensive Player of the Year explained what he keeps telling his new backcourt partner.

"The main thing I tell him is to just slow down with me. You don't need to go fast, because I'm going to give you an advantage. I told him to watch some clips of me and Joe Ingles pick and rolls."

Gobert added that Ball can even walk into the play, since the screen will make the space for him.

He and forward Joe Ingles spent several seasons together with the Utah Jazz, and pointing Ball to that film tells me Gobert has thought hard about a pairing he has been excited about for weeks.

Minnesota got Ball this summer in a trade that sent center Naz Reid and a big package of draft picks to the Hornets, and Ball averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists in 72 games for Charlotte last season.

I like this advice a lot.

Ball has so much flair that he can be tempted to rush, and a screen from a big man like Gobert works best when the ball handler lets it play out.

This is the part of the pairing I am most curious about, since slowing down is not what most people expect from Ball, and buying in would show me he wants to make this work with his new center.

Gobert averaged 10.9 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting 68.2 percent from the field in 76 games last season, so if Ball holds the defender on his hip and waits for the big man to dive, Gobert should get plenty of easy finishes and Ball should find more open shooters as defenses collapse.

Gobert has long been the anchor of the defense in Minnesota, and newer teammates like guard Ayo Dosunmu have talked about how he has helped them grow on that end, so Ball is not the first teammate he has tried to bring along.

Ball has also never played in a playoff game, and I would much rather see him learn the small stuff from Gobert in October than in a tight series in the spring.

Minnesota hosts the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night and then visits the Chicago Bulls on Friday to close out the preseason, before the regular season opens on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in Miami.

I want to see how often Ball slows down in those two games, because if he plays at the pace Gobert is asking for, I think this pick and roll will be the best thing the Minnesota offense has by Thanksgiving.