When the Minnesota Timberwolves sold the farm to acquire Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz in the past offseason, the move was met with plenty of criticisms. After all, why would they give up that much for a player that hasn't even helped his previous team get close to the championship, let alone contend for it?

Gobert has certainly heard the noise, and so in his first official game with the Timberwolves, he put on a performance to silence them.

The Frenchman had a monster double-double to lead the Timberwolves to a big 115-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their season opener. He scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to power Minnesota, especially in a night when Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards struggled to get anything going offensively.

Even more amazing, Gobert made 10 of his 15 shots. His 16 boards is also the most rebounds a player made in their Timberwolves debut, breaking the mark set by Al Jefferson back in the 2007-8 season, per Justin Kubatko of Basketball Reference.

Naturally as the haters went silent on Wednesday, Rudy Gobert's supporters flooded Twitter to react to his big showing. While it's only one game, many can already see the potential of the Timberwolves once they get everything together and they start clicking.

Article Continues Below
More Timberwolves News
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) holds onto the ball next to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center.
3 best players Minnesota Timberwolves must re-sign in 2025 NBA free agencyRohan Brahmbhatt ·
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) practices
Timberwolves president’s bold Anthony Edwards prediction after WCF eliminationJedd Pagaduan ·
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the second half at Footprint Center.
Did Timberwolves’ Tim Connelly drop hint at potential Kevin Durant trade?Malik Brown ·
Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly answers questions at a press conference to introduce the 2022 draft picks at Target Center.
Tim Connelly confirms Timberwolves future despite potential departure rumorsTroy Finnegan ·
timberwolves, anthony edwards, kevin durant, timberwolves trade
3 trades Minnesota Timberwolves must make to win 2026 NBA title with Anthony EdwardsGarrett Kerman ·
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
3 early Minnesota Timberwolves NBA free agency targets in 2025 offseasonRohan Brahmbhatt ·

https://twitter.com/babyfvcejay/status/1582930563756761088

Gobert set the bar high for himself with his epic Timberwolves debut, but given his efficiency and overall performance, there is no reason to believe he couldn't keep up such production. The season will be long, but the Minnesota faithful have a lot more to look forward to now.