The dramatic ups and downs in the world of NBA stars are peppered with freshly brewed hints of rumors off and on. This is what keeps the fans actively invested, spouting their curiosity as the updates keep trickling in. This time the sparks are flying off again and they concern none other than the Minnesota Timberwolves center star Rudy Gobert revolving mostly around his getting benched at the Paris Games. Talk about an Olympics hangover and it seems it is pretty real involving not just the players in its heady allure but the fans as well!

The Minnesota favorite represented France at the Olympics in Paris and finished with an average of 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks for 7 efficiency points per game. The home favorites clashed against Team USA in the finals and took the game to its absolute best at the Bercy Arena, finishing with the silver win. Now the substitutes who took over once Gobert got benched are making the headlines as the rumors continue doing the rounds.

One such name is that of Mathias Lessort, who was an integral part of the French national team that played the Olympics finals last Saturday. Lessort ended up averaging nearly 10 rebounds per 40 minutes in the Olympics for Team France. The 28-year-old center was playing in the shadows of the big names in the initial stages of the tournament and stepped forward for the world to focus on his performance only in the knockouts. This happened after Gobert was benched by the team, a decision that has kept the fans on their toes ever since. But the French national knew what the game meant for his team and he did stand out to prove his mettle as he had a lot of expectations on his shoulders, having replaced the 4x DPOY awardee Rudy Gobert.

Notably, he did not disappoint those who placed their trust in him to bring out his A-game at the crucial moments. Springing out as the centerpiece, during the intense quarter-finals clash against Canada, the 6 foot 9’ center notched an impressive 13 points with 5 rebounds and a block giving France the much-needed lead.

The story of the mysterious injury that got everyone talking!

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Gobert who got to clock eight total minutes in the team’s two knockout stage victories, playing more of a supporting role to help his team land at the gold medal game in their home arena. Which makes one ponder what made the things take such a twist. To give the wild hypothesis churning around a decent break, Gobert himself opened up about his recent injury on his left ring finger in a practice session for which he had to undergo surgery. But what made this bizarre is when The Athletic’s Sam Amick took to his handle to post on X that the French coach Vincent Collet had claimed that Gobert didn’t have to undergo any surgery.

“Collet indicates this wasn’t surgery, but an exam that included an MRI and caused Gobert pain,” Amick wrote. “It was a factor — but not at all THE factor — in his playing time. Collet wanted to go small(er). Gobert was cleared to play.”

If Amick, along with the other Internet sleuths, is to be believed, Gobert had the green flag to continue playing. This raises the crucial question of the team considering Lessort as they were searching for more depth on the front line, which the rising star promised to deliver on. However, Gobert did come off the bench again on the Thursday match against Germany. Although he ended up playing for only five minutes, almost all of which came in the first half itself, except for a free throw later in the game, he did seem pumped up. He attempted 1 shot and put up 1 rebound and 1 assist in France’s tightly contested victory. The fact that he did not miss both games somehow suggests that the finger injury wasn’t such a big issue after all.

The other player, whose name is up and out, popping up right next to Rudy Gobert’s, is of Guerschon Yabusele. This 28-year-old French basketball power forward plays for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the Euro League. Yabusele, born in France whose parents emigrated from Zaire, had trained to be a boxer throughout the early phases of his childhood years. But destiny had other plans in store for him. Even before he realized it, he was playing in the forward position for his country, having represented the French national team in international competitions, with whom he won silver medals at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. While being drafted with the Boston Celtics, Yabusele became an overnight fan favorite despite his few minutes of court appearance and was nicknamed “The Dancing Bear”.

This is what the coach had to say after Gobert’s replacement with Yabusele and his getting benched:
“With Guerschon [Yabusele] instead of Rudy [Gobert], we have more space to play in offense. With Rudy in the paint, the defenses could help more. It put more defensive pressure on Victor [Wembanyama]. Guerschon brings size in offense, so they had to focus on him. That is what gave us more spacing,”

The plausible speculation on what the buzzing rumors signal about Gobert’s playing season ahead is gaining all the attention as of now. But in such cases which come with their own surprise packages, before taking the plunge, one should keep in mind that your guess will always be as good as mine. We can all hope that the upcoming season doesn’t look parched for Gobert, as rumors of his early retirement do the rounds and wish him a speedy recovery as we wait for his frenetic energy to dominate and take over the court again!

Stay tuned to learn more about what this means for Gobert’s future and if there is a speck of truth lying out of sight waiting to be patiently discovered somewhere.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.