The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready for their postseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Despite the Lakers having home-court advantage against the No. 6 seed Minnesota, it will be a tough matchup for Luka Doncic & Co.
However, one aspect of the matchup that Doncic and the Lakers are already looking forward to is facing Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves' defense has Gobert anchoring the backline, but the perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate doesn't seem to faze the Lakers.
In his presser on Thursday, Lakers center Jaxson Hayes took a subtle shot at Gobert, saying that even though he is his matchup, the French big man is not "[his] main focus", per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Jaxson Hayes on Wolves center Rudy Gobert in the first round: “He’s my matchup but he’s not my main focus” pic.twitter.com/bybXqEJ0B7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 17, 2025
Lakers Starter Shades Rudy Gobert Ahead of Playoff Matchup
Gobert is a favorite punching bag for NBA players and media members. Hayes is just the latest player to join the bandwagon of shading Gobert.
The three-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year has a history with Doncic. Minnesota faced Luka Doncic and the Mavericks last year, and Doncic took advantage of the 7-foot-1 center switching out to him on the perimeter. During the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Dallas also eliminated Gobert-led Jazz in six games on their way to Luka's first Conference Finals appearance.
This will be the third time in four years that Doncic will face Gobert in the playoffs. So far, Gobert hasn't given Doncic much of a reason for fear, and the Lakers are taking full advantage of that.
As the only viable center on the Lakers roster, Hayes will play extended minutes dealing with Minnesota's size.
Gobert-Naz Reid-Julius Randle frontcourt trio will be a handful to deal with for the Lakers, so the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura will have to play bigger than their size for the Lakers to overcome the Timberwolves. Whether they will be able to do it remains to be seen.