France is headed back to the gold medal match for the second consecutive Olympics.
The host nation will have a rocking Barcy Arena crowd behind it as it looks for revenge against a United States team that defeated it in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medal game.
Rising NBA star Victor Wembanyama and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert were expected to anchor France's frontcourt, but Gobert has not been in the rotation for Les Bleus in its run to the final.
Is it because Gobert is injured? The Sporting News explains the situation below.
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Is Rudy Gobert injured? Why France star is coming off bench
Yes, but that is not the reason he has not been playing for France during its run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gobert was surprisingly removed from France's starting lineup — along with long-time running mate Evan Fournier — ahead of its quarterfinals matchup with Canada. Head coach Vincent Collet elected to start defensive-minded guard Frank Ntilikina and two-way wing Isaia Cordinier instead, giving France a more versatile lineup.
Gobert only played 3:41 seconds, leaving the masses to question if he was dealing with an unknown injury.
After France pulled off the upset win, Gobert revealed that he had been dealing with a finger injury — a comment that conflicted with his head coach's assessment of the lineup change.
Collet announced that his decision had nothing to do with Gobert's finger and more to do with matchups.
"Small ball. I wanted Wemby to start at position five. [Guerschon] Yabusele at position 4," Collet said. "The second change was Cordinier for Evan Fournier because I wanted to start with a defensive starting five," he concluded.
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Collet kept the same starting lineup in France's upset win over Germany in the semifinals, and Gobert only played 5:09 in that contest. Over those two victories, Cordinier caught fire from 3-point range and Yabusele became France's No. 2 scoring option.
As a result, it is unlikely that Collet will revert Gobert to his regular role against the United States. Team USA is more athletic and versatile than any team in the tournament and if France wants to match its pace, Gobert is not the answer.
He should have an opportunity to play spot minutes off the bench, though. The United States has used a bigger second-unit frontcourt with Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. That could open the door for Gobert to leave an impact in the gold medal match on his home soil.
If Gobert is not in the rotation, know that it is a coaching decision, not an injury restriction.
