Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in their upcoming game. In the Timberwolves’ previous game, Edwards is coming off an incredible 37-point performance against the Houston Rockets. But he will have his hands full against the Thunder, especially since the T-Wolves have a bit of a Rudy Gobert problem.

His back issues seem to be acting up as the T-Wolves stare down the barrel at a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder. So let’s find out if Rudy Gobert will be backing up his team.

Minnesota’s Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Will Rudy Gobert recover in time?

Rudy Gobert is the most important piece in Minnesota’s defense. It’s not a stretch to say that the Wolves just don’t play the same without him. And going against the league’s highest scorer poses to be a tall order. 

However, that’s exactly the situation the T-Wolves are facing. Rudy Gobert is OUT for the Thunder game as he recovers from back spasms. Anthony Edwards was very vocal about Rudy’s absence following the Rockets game. “Of course we missing Rudy. He’s the anchor, so anytime he don’t play, we miss him,” revealed Edwards. High praise from Ant, but it also underscores the issue we pointed out earlier. The T-Wolves don’t play like themselves without Gobert leading the charge in defense.

Two other players find themselves on the injury report for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Forward Julius Randle is OUT of the upcoming game with a groin strain. He suffered this injury on January 30 during the Utah Jazz. Owing to this injury, he’s missed the last 8 games for the Wolves. However, the T-Wolves feel he’s making considerable progress in his recovery and they expect him back soon. Good news for Minnesota fans.

Donte DiVincenzo is the final player on the injury report for the Thunder game. He is OUT with a sprained left toe. Donte’s re-evaluation revealed “a stable turf toe injury with a partial tear of the plantar ligament, not requiring surgery.” This ended up prolonging his recovery, but similar to Randle, the medical staff at the T-Wolves expects him to be ready soon.

Now that we know who the Wolves will be missing against the Thunder, let’s look at the lineup they may use.

Minnesota Timberwolves – predicted starting lineup and depth chart

Expect Naz Reid to step up once again in the absence of Rudy Gobert. Reid was sensational when the Thunder played Minnesota last time. His 27 points and 14 rebounds were crucial in securing the 116-101 victory for Minnesota. Reid’s been putting up consistent numbers for the Timberwolves, even if his defensive capabilities are nowhere close to Gobert’s. That said, here’s the lineup they might field against OKC:

The Timberwolves’ last loss to the Houston Rockets showed how they don’t have a problem making baskets. They simply struggle to keep opposition attackers at bay without Rudy Gobert present in the lineup. And this might haunt them against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even a split-second lapse in their focus is all the likes of Jalen Williams and SGA need to punish the Wolves. The Minnesota Timberwolves have a tough for ahead of them this weekend!