Souhan: What is Rudy Gobert’s future with the Timberwolves?

Timberwolves boss Tim Connelly could do just about anything this summer, and one of the most surprising things he could do is nothing.

No one knows, at the moment, what the future holds for Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, or Mike Conley, not to mention younger players who could become trade chips.

One of the most fascinating decisions Connelly will make involves Rudy Gobert, who as of a year ago was probably one of the Wolves’ few untouchable, untradeable players.

Would Connelly trade Gobert this summer?

Should he?

The primary reason to keep Gobert is the primary reason Connelly traded for him in the first place. Gobert elevates the Timberwolves’ defense like no other player in franchise history since Kevin Garnett.

One way to look at the Wolves’ recent success is that Anthony Edwards sets their ceiling, and Gobert sets their floor.

Edwards’ offensive capabilities and athletic ability give the Wolves a chance to score and compete with the NBA’s best teams.

Gobert’s defense and rebounding ensure that the Wolves’ defense can match up with most opponents.

When Gobert is on the court, he has an effect that is often invisible. What you see is what you don’t see — opponents driving at will to the rim and scoring.

Gobert dissuades a large percentage of NBA players from even venturing near the basket. In the Western Conference finals, Oklahoma City attacked the rim immediately after Gobert went to the bench.

So why would Connelly trade a player who has brought so much value and success to Minnesota — a player that he risked his reputation by trading for?

Because the best decision-makers in sports can see around corners.

What’s around the corner for Gobert?

He did not have a good season by his standards. His defense was valuable, but if you watched the games, he too often was a sizable liability on the offensive end of the court.

Gobert scored two fewer points, grabbed about two fewer rebounds and had about one fewer block per game. That’s a significant decline.

He’ll turn 33 later this month. Gobert keeps himself in remarkable physical condition, and his efforts may extend his prime, but when big men start to decline, they can decline quickly.

Connelly is likely to trade Gobert when he believes Gobert can no longer be a key player on a championship team. Is that the case now?

Of course, we’re judging Gobert after a lackluster season. There is a way he could rejuvenate his game and perhaps even improve after the age of 33.

The conversations I’ve had with people who know Gobert indicate that his work ethic doesn’t extend to investing time in fixing his most obvious flaw: What would be called, in football, fumble-itis.

He doesn’t catch the ball smoothly or reliably. He lacks shooting touch. He turns the ball over too often when he’s in scoring range.

Why doesn’t Gobert spend the entire summer improving his hands?

There are ways to do so.

Anybody who has attended a high-level football practice has seen players catching footballs fired at them out of a machine. I’ve talked to baseball players who have improved their hand-eye coordination by working with companies that put them through drills that improve their reactions and dexterity.

If Gobert worked as hard on hand-eye coordination as he does on physical conditioning and recovery, he could reinvent himself as a worthwhile offensive player.

One commonality of other excellent NBA teams of recent vintage is that they don’t have players on the court who can be left unguarded.

Too often in the Western Conference Finals, the Wolves had two players on the court that Oklahoma City didn’t respect — Conley and Gobert.

Conley is likely to have a reduced role next season, if he even remains with the Wolves. Gobert, if he isn’t traded, will have the same role, and the Wolves will be looking for him to bounce back.

He has a chance to do so. It’s all in his hands.