Wolves' Rudy Gobert says finger injury limited his minutes in France's QF win

Gobert played just three minutes in France's latest victory at the Olympics.

Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France centre Rudy Gobert (27) handles the ball against Japan centre Hugh Watanabe (34) in men’s basketball group B play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Timberwolves center and reigning NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert played just three minutes in France's quarterfinal victory over Canada at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday — but there's an explanation for that. Gobert said he injured his left ring finger in a recent practice and had surgery on it on Monday, via USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt.

That report is backed up by an Instagram post from French basketball magazine Reverse Magazine that appears to show Gobert post-surgery.

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"A source close to Rudy Gobert confirmed that he was reduced by an injury to his left hand that required several stitches," claimed Reverse magazine in the Instagram post.

That makes more sense than France outright benching one of its best players, even if the matchup against Canada may not have been the most favorable one for Gobert. He was removed from the starting lineup and only saw brief action in the second quarter, committing an offensive foul and grabbing one rebound. That was it for Gobert in the 82-73 victory that sent France through to a semifinal matchup against Germany.

Update: This is getting strange. Apparently France's coach told reporters that Gobert had an MRI, not surgery, and was cleared to play, but didn't play much because of the matchup.

French coach Vincent Collet indicates this wasn’t surgery, but an exam that included an MRI and caused Gobert pain. It was a factor - but not at all THE factor - in his playing time. Collet wanted to go small(er). Gobert was cleared to play. Quotes coming… https://t.co/Mhzp3UWx3r

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 6, 2024

During the group stage, Gobert played a major role as a starter and defensive anchor for France. His best performance came against Japan, when he had 7 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. He also had eight blocks in the three group stage games.

Gobert's finger injury is presumably not an overly serious one, considering he wasn't held out of this quarterfinal match entirely. It'll be interesting to see if he plays more in the semifinal against Germany on Thursday. Gobert had four blocks in France's loss against Germany to wrap up the group stage last week.

Even without Gobert, France was able to pull off an upset win over Canada on Tuesday. Victor Wembanyama had 12 rebounds and played impactful defense, while Guerschon Yabusele, Isaïa Cordinier, and Evan Fournier led things in the scoring department.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points in the loss for Canada, who is now eliminated. Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker had two points in three minutes.