Good since the All-Star break, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert now returns to the NBA playoffs ready to show there’s still a place for the big man there. He has sometimes been minimized in his career by opponents who have taken him away from the basket — and out of the game — by going small.

Luka ran roughshod over the Timberwolves in the 2024 playoffs. He averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists in the five games against Gobert's Wolves, single-handedly dismantling them en route to his first NBA Finals appearance.