Rudy Gobert reached up for an off-target pass, caught it and, in the same motion, sent the ball behind his head toward Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels missed the layup before tipping it in, completing one of Minnesota’s most entertaining possessions against Milwaukee on Monday.

The connection looked instinctive. Building that understanding consistently has been considerably harder.

Gobert is adjusting to two new starters in LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga while trying to correct a difficult offensive start. The process brings renewed relevance to something Mike Conley told Chris Finch after arriving in Minnesota in 2023.

According to Jon Krawczynski’s reporting for The Athletic, Conley told the coach that most players need a full year to learn how to play with Gobert. Ball and Kuminga have barely had two months.

That observation provides context for a partnership already being scrutinized through missed finishes, turnovers and a viral bench conversation. It also suggests Minnesota’s offensive adjustment will require more than telling its guards to throw better passes or asking Gobert to dunk harder. The timing and decisions have to develop together.

Gobert’s limitations make those details especially consequential. A pass delivered after a defender has recovered can leave him trying to catch and finish in traffic. A clean opening can disappear between the guard recognizing it and getting the ball out.

Finch identified that issue during his October 29 media session, discussing the need to deliver the ball more cleanly and prepare to pass sooner when those opportunities appear. But the coach also made clear that Gobert has work to do once he receives it.

“I don’t see a lot of extension,” Finch said. “I see a lot of short arms, a lot of flips, a lot of kind of finesse shots around there.”

His proposed adjustment was direct: extend toward the basket and try to dunk more of those opportunities. Gobert recognized the same problem.

“Sometimes I tell myself, ‘Why didn’t I dunk that,’ too,” he said.

He emphasized reacting decisively, staying balanced and committing to the finish. Those are corrections he can pursue while the familiarity with his teammates develops.

The numbers explain why Minnesota needs improvement now. Through seven appearances, Gobert was shooting 42.5 percent from the field, according to Krawczynski’s report. He entered the season with a career mark of 65.7 percent.

His combined 0-for-13 shooting against Cleveland and Golden State was particularly damaging. He has since made seven of 13 attempts across his next two games, although Monday’s 4-for-12 performance at the free-throw line presented another problem.

Conley’s observation cannot make those missed opportunities less costly. It does, however, help explain why the solution involves repeated work between players rather than a single adjustment.

Gobert described that work Monday after watching the Spurs game from the sideline while dealing with back spasms. The different perspective allowed him to study Ball’s opportunities and consider his own role in creating them.

“How can I help him just make his life easy on the court?” Gobert said.

He also discussed being ready away from the ball because Ball can recognize openings quickly. Gobert wants to create an advantage and trust his point guard to read the defense. Minnesota has already seen productive examples. Against the Clippers, Gobert’s catches in the middle led to passes toward open teammates. Finch praised those decisions afterward.

“It’s part of the process right now,” he explained, describing the work of developing that connection against different coverages.

Dosunmu offered a useful description of the responsibility involved. “It’s a 50-50 partnership,” he said.

With Anthony Edwards recovering from knee surgery, Minnesota has little room to waste the openings Ball creates. Gobert needs to convert more of them, and his teammates need to keep learning when and where he can use the ball.

Monday’s behind-the-head pass showed what a quick connection can produce. Conley’s experience explains why making those connections dependable takes longer.