Friday night will see Rudy Gobert play against his former team, the Utah Jazz, in Salt Lake City for the first time. The now-Minnesota Timberwolves center won three Defensive Player of the Year awards in his time with the Jazz as he helped them become a Western Conference powerhouse. That means it’s bound to be an emotional night for the Frenchman.
On Thursday, when Anthony Edwards — Minnesota’s best player and Gobert’s running mate — was asked about the gravitas of the center’s return to a city he spent almost a decade in, Edwards almost seemed to forget why the game on Friday was such a big deal. (This isn’t the first time there was potential awkwardness involving Edwards and Gobert.)
