Rudy Gobert returns to Utah on Friday for the first time since the Jazz traded him in the summer. And rather surprisingly, the Jazz will be ahead of the Timberwolves in the standings when the two teams meet, this despite Utah also trading Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, a series of moves that indicated a rebuilding year. The Gobert and Mitchell trades were only two of a few big trades that went down over the summer. In the spirit of Gobert’s return, let’s look at how some of those trades have fared a little more than a quarter into the season, starting with Rudy himself.
Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves
As previously mentioned, Minnesota is not only behind Utah in the standings, the T-Wolves (as of Dec. 8) are 11th in the West, currently outside the play-in tournament. Minnesota is behind teams such as the Kings (who haven’t made the playoffs in forever), the Grizzlies (whose best players haven’t played together) and Mavericks (who lost their second-best player in the offseason).
