The absence of Anthony Edwards is probably adding to the frustration in the locker room. But it was getting more palpable at the bench when the Minnesota Timberwolves were falling to the Golden State Warriors. After cameras seemingly caught a tense exchange between Rudy Gobert and his teammates, the man at the center of this drama had to clear the air.
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Wednesday night’s game was the Wolves’ first major challenge this season. Playing in their first game since learning star guard Anthony Edwards will miss extended time for a knee injury, the Wolves found themselves in an uphill battle after trailing by as much as 24 points at Target Center. On the way to a 119–114 loss to the Warriors, cameras caught new additions LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga animatedly confronting Gobert on the bench during a late timeout.
Addressing the viral clip following Thursday’s practice, the Wolves veteran brushed off concerns, clarifying that the exchange was simply a manifestation of in-game frustration and not a fight between teammates.
“Sometimes people make an assumption, and it’s totally something different, with the angles and stuff. There might be some of that. But I didn’t feel any animosity,” Gobert told reporters. “There was some frustration, for sure. I was frustrated. They were frustrated. Those guys have been great. Communication has been good. I’ve really tried to help them, and also when you have a frustrating night, sometimes there’s frustration. But I didn’t feel like there was any disrespect or anything like that. Just guys that want to win and try to help each other out.”
It was not as obvious as Rudy Gobert punching former teammate Kyle Anderson on the bench in 2023. But there’s been two consecutive instances. In the previous game against the Cavs, Ant visibly yelled, “Why did you stop playing?” at the center for letting a rebound go.
Yet he emphasized that Wednesday’s conversation with Melo and JK did not cross any lines.
“I’ll have to see the images, see what it looks like.In the moment I didn’t feel like there was anything bad,” Gobert added. “There’s been bad things we’ve had. That wasn’t anything bad.”
The ‘bad things’ probably referenced the Kyle Anderson incident because it left the room amused.
For Gobert, the communication on the bench, even when tense, is an expected part of building chemistry early in an 82-game schedule.
“That’s part of the NBA,” Gobert stated. “You have a couple new guys coming in. There’s gonna be tough games, there’s gonna be adversity, there’s gonna be growing pains. Keep trusting one another, keep talking to one another, keep putting in the work every day… Five games in, so we got 77 more games, then playoffs.”
The latest heated bench interaction came during a brutal individual stretch for Gobert, who was rendered largely ineffective by the Warriors’ small-ball lineup. The 4x DPOY logged just one point off a free throw and four rebounds in 20 minutes while going 0-of-4 from the field.
The performance followed an 0-for-9 shooting night against Cleveland. That marked an unprecedented 0-for-13 slump over a two-game span for a player holding the second-highest career field goal percentage (.657) in NBA history behind DeAndre Jordan. He admitted it’s a sore point.
“Just a rough couple days, man,” Gobert said when asked about his recent offensive struggles. “Rough couple of days. A lot of things that I gotta finish and I didn’t finish. Just gotta keep putting in the work and finishing strong, especially around the rim. That’s really important for our team and I hold myself to the highest standard for that. Definitely gotta be better.”
The Timberwolves are currently navigating significant structural changes. Integrating new starters Ball and Kuminga into the system while dealing with Edwards’ absence requires an adjustment period.
Ball struggled with his efficiency against the Warriors, recording eight points and six turnovers on a 3-of-11 shooting. Kuminga provided an offensive spark against his former team, scoring a team-high 20 points.
With Minnesota sitting at 3–2, the coaching staff and veteran core view the sideline accountability as a necessary stepping stone as they work to re-establish their identity without Anthony Edwards.