Rudy Gobert Says He’s a Hall of Famer, Is He Right?

The Minnesota Timberwolves have two All-Stars for just the fifth time in franchise history, but what about Rudy Gobert? There’s no doubt he’s had the biggest impact on the Timberwolves having the NBA’s best defense, in addition to a top seed in the Western Conference.

Yet, when it comes to picking 12 players for the All-Star game from the West, fans, players, and coaches apparently didn’t feel Gobert was worthy. At least not this year for the three-time All-Star. Yet, when Gobert was asked about his response to being an ‘All-Star snub’, he said no one should feel sorry for him, especially since he’ll get the last laugh when he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“You don’t have to feel bad… At my Hall of Fame speech, I’ll be able to joke about how many times I got to enjoy some extra vacation because I got snubbed for the All Star game.”

Rudy Gobert on his All-Star snub

That’s a golden quote, but is Gobert right? Is the four-time All-NBA center already on track to be one of the game’s greatest centers of all time?

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What Are Rudy Gobert’s Chances of Making Hall of Fame?

Every player wants to believe they can reach the Hall of Fame when they retire from the game of basketball. But as we know, not every athlete gets that chance. Not only do you have to be good for a long stretch of time, but you have to be one of the very best players at your position for several years.

However, Gobert does at least have one major claim to fame, with his three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and is on track to win a fourth. It should be noted that both Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace were also four-time DPOY award winners, and both are in the Hall of Fame.

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Yet, when we look at Gobert’s Hall of Fame probability on Basketball Reference, the Timberwolves’ center is given just a 25% chance as of right now. This ranks 23rd among active players, just ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns at 22%.

Of course, this analytical projection doesn’t factor in the probability that Gobert will win another Defensive Player of the Year award. Not to mention, he’s still 31 years old and showing no signs of slowing down. If Gobert is this effective in 2024, who’s to say he can’t still provide elite defense for the next couple seasons, at the very least?

We know Gobert will never have impressive scoring numbers, but he does rank highly in several other categories.

• Rudy Gobert’s stats: 2nd in RPG among active players, 3rd in BPG, 2nd in NBA history in FG%

As of now, if Gobert retired today, it doesn’t look like he’d have the resume to be considered HOF-worthy. Yet, If Gobert can help the Timberwolves find more playoff success while still being one of basketball’s best rebounders and shot-blockers for a few more seasons, there’s no reason he can’t end up in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, but he’ll have to stay healthy too.

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