Gobert still has confidence in Minnesota amid their struggles.
The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped another one on Sunday night, falling 122-108 to the Charlotte Hornets at home in a game that got away from them early and never came back.
It was their third loss in four games and their second straight without Anthony Edwards, who continues to sit with right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
After the game, Rudy Gobert was asked about where the team stands and whether they're close to putting it all together heading into the playoffs, and his answer was calm and steady.
"Focused on being the best Rudy I can be first and then control what I can control. I have full confidence in our guys and our staff and everyone, and the goal is still the same. We'll be fine."
Gobert Holding It Down
Even in a loss, Gobert was one of the few Timberwolves who showed up on Sunday.
He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double while shooting 6-for-9 from the field, adding two assists and a block in 31 minutes.
On the season, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 11.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 68.6 percent from the floor, which continues to make him one of the most efficient centers in basketball.
The problem on Sunday wasn't Gobert or even Julius Randle, who poured in 26 points and eight rebounds.
It was Charlotte outscoring Minnesota 34-19 in the third quarter and pushing their lead as high as 22 points, which was too much to climb back from.
LaMelo Ball was practically unguardable all night with 35 points on seven threes and eight assists while the Hornets shot 42 percent from deep as a team.
The Edwards Question
The bigger concern hovering over everything in Minnesota right now is Edwards and his knee.
The All-Star Game MVP has played in just 60 games this season, averaging a career-best 28.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, but he has missed eight of the team's last 10 games and the two appearances he did make were rough.
He scored 17 against Dallas and then put up just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting in a loss to the Sixers before sitting again Sunday.
Head coach Chris Finch has called it day-to-day injury management and said there's no long-term concern, but the reality is the Timberwolves need to figure out quickly whether Edwards can be the version of himself they need when the postseason starts.
Minnesota sits at 46-32 and sixth in the Western Conference with four games left, and while they're safely in the playoff picture, they've looked like a team that can't quite find its footing without its best player on the floor.
Can They Make Another Run?
That's the question Gobert's quote really gets at even if he didn't say it directly.
The Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals two years ago and the second round last season, so the pedigree is there for a deep run, but the inconsistency over the past few weeks has been hard to ignore and the fact that they just lost at home to a Charlotte team sitting at 43-36 says something about where they are right now.
It is going to depend almost entirely on Edwards getting healthy and this team finding its rhythm before the first round tips off.