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Just how difficult is it to put a sphere with a diameter of around 9-inches through an 18-inch cylinder from 26-feet away? Rudy Gobert learned firsthand the answer to that question during the Minnesota Timberwolves' Friday night clash against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Timberwolves down by 16 with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter, Gobert found himself wide open from above the break after Karl-Anthony Towns passed him the ball beyond the arc. There's a reason why Brook Lopez, a stout rim protector in his own right, gave the 7'1 Frenchman acres of space from the perimeter.
However, with the Timberwolves on the receiving end of a 13-4 run by the Bucks to start the half, Rudy Gobert knew he had to do something to provide a spark for his teammates. Usually, he can provide just that with a monster dunk off the pick-and-roll, but maybe the France international thought: “What if I shoot a three-pointer? No one will ever expect it.” Thus, after battling his initial hesitation as he squared up to perhaps take an inexplicable triple, Gobert let the ball fly from deep.
And the shot missed. By a lot. It barely even grazed the net as the entirety of Target Center watched Gobert's shot sail out of bounds.
Rudy Gobert for 3 ! pic.twitter.com/CAUx2wfxwn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 5, 2022
You could just hear the audible gasps amid the palpable anticipation as Gobert threw caution to the wind, pulled up, and jacked up what was only the 13th three-point attempt of his career (including heaves). The Target Center crowd would have burst into euphoria if Gobert made that shot, and who knows, in the same way the simple flapping of a butterfly's wings can cause a typhoon, perhaps the Timberwolves would have won the game against the Bucks if the center's three-point try tickled the twine.
And why not stop there, perhaps they would even win the NBA championship as soon as next year had Gobert sank that triple!
Kidding aside, it's admirable that Rudy Gobert would even think about attempting that shot with 11 seconds left in the shot clock as a career zero percent shooter from downtown . Surely he knew the flak he'd receive if he missed the shot, and surely he knew that he'd be the butt of many jokes if he missed it the way he did. But in the face of uncertainty and adversity, we could all take notes from the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Shoot your shot. Always. Even if there are no guarantees that the shot would even draw iron.
(Yes, I'm looking at you, Ben Simmons.)
