Rudy Gobert is a polarizing figure.
The former Utah Jazz big man was voted the NBA's most overrated player by his peers and was partly blamed, unfairly, for the league shutting down in 2020 over his infamous COVID-19 microphone incident.
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But accolades speak for themselves, and the 7ft 1in Frenchman was recently named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time - joining Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
Nobody can question Gobert's defensive credentials. However, his limited footwork and inability to stretch the floor in a predominately 3-point shooting league mean his offensive limitations often stand out like a sore thumb.
"In their eyes, I'm more like the odd guy from France that's winning a lot of awards, and it can bother people," Gobert theorized about why he gets so much hate.
"I impact the games in a very unique way. It's maybe not as cool or not as flashy as some other guys, so it's sometimes harder for them to respect that. I just think I'm just mostly misunderstood. I think I trigger a lot of these guys."
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Perhaps he is a player who can only truly be appreciated by those have played alongside him.
It certainly took Anthony Edwards time to see the light.
"'Anytime I go against [Kristaps] Porzingis, I don’t get no layups," Ant-Man said in 2021.
"I don’t get why we couldn’t finish on Rudy Gobert. He don’t put no fear in my heart. I don’t know why."
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Fast-forward a year and Edwards and Gobert were teammates.
Trust and chemistry took time to build, but once it had, the revitalised Timberwolves were firing on all cylinders.
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This season, the big man-little man combo are part of the high-flying T-Wolves who are enjoying their best campaign in 20 years and have a 2-0 lead over defending champions Denver in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Timberwolves finished the regular season third in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record, their second-most wins in franchise history.
They also boasted the No. 1-ranked defense (108.4 rating), led the NBA in fewest points allowed per game and held their opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage in the league.
Gobert, who finished the season second in rebounds per game and sixth in blocked shots per game (behind only Victor Wembanyama), was at the core of their stifling defensive unit.
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That lockdown D has seen the Timberwolves go 6-0 in the postseason and sweep the Phoenix Suns.
Gobert missed Game 2 of the Nuggets series to attend the birth of his son, Romeo, but it mattered little.
"Even without Rudy, this is one of the best defensive teams I’ve ever seen," TNT analyst Charles Barkley said after the 106-80 blowout win.
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In Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves have a Michael Jordan-esque star blessed with undeniable X-factor talent.
The de facto leader of the ferocious Wolves has shown maturity beyond his years, embracing Gobert to his team like a veteran usually does with a wet behind the ears rookie.
“I think trusting Rudy,” Edwards responded when asked why his team has taken such a jump this season.
“I think that’s the main thing. However many players on the team that plays — me, Nickeil, Mike, SloMo, Jaden, Naz, KAT — we all trust Rudy, like, together.”
The All-Star pair have finally figured out how to play with each other and it all started with Gobert advising the young buck to slow his game down and embrace his role as a playmaker.
“Just taking my time. Not going fast, because Rudy is a tool in pick-and-roll if you use him the right way,” Edwards said.
“I’m learning more and more as the games we play together, like two-man action, how long it takes him to roll, should I wait on him this time? Should I go? He talks to me. He helps me a lot.”
“I know now how to get him open,” Gobert added. “I keep telling him, ‘When you see me screening for you, you don’t need to go fast. You don’t need to rush. You know that I’m going to give you an advantage. So you just gotta read.’ ”
"He’s [Edwards] able to dunk on people and he’s a great finisher and also a great 3-point shooter,” Gobert went on.
“The only way they can guard is they have to bring a third guy, and then that means we get our shooters open in the corners or at the top of the key.”
“For [Edwards], it’s about recognizing the coverage.
"For me, when I know the coverage, I know that sometimes I’m going to have to hold the screen, sometimes I’m going to have to roll quick, sometimes I’m going to be in the pocket for him. He’s getting better and better at being able to recognize different ways that they’re going to guard him.”
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The unlikely bromance has blossomed into a deadly one-two punch. It's a relationship that continues to improve on a nightly basis.
When Edwards channelled WWE superstar Triple H with his signature gesture after beating the Suns in Game 3, he immediately sought out Rudy's approval.
"I was trying to get Rudy to do it with me, but he'd never make eye contact with me, which was crazy because I threw you the ball for the and-one," Edwards said during the post-game conference with Gobert sitting next to him.
"I might be concussed, but I did see [the celebration]. I liked that," Gobert noted with a smile. "I was proud."
"My boy got and-one. I was just happy about that," Edwards added.
The Timberwolves have never won an NBA championship - they've never even made it to the NBA Finals. The closest they got was the conference finals in the 2003-04 season when franchise icon Kevin Garnett won league MVP.
But all that could change this year with 'brothers' Edwards and Gobert working in perfect tandem.
“He’s like my brother. We talk all the time. He texts me, we text all the time,” Edwards recently said of his teammate.
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“I think everybody pretty much has 100 percent trust in him now at this point. He makes the right play every time.”
The once sceptical Edwards is now fully onboard the Gobert bandwagon.