Why is Rudy Gobert not starting vs Germany? Closer look at French center snubbed from starting 5

On Thursday, Rudy Gobert was left out of coach Vincent Collet's starting lineup for France's semifinal matchup against Germany. The decision marked the second straight game where Gobert came off the bench for France, with Victor Wembanyama starting at center position in his place.

After Gobert was left out of Les Bleus' starting lineup against Canada earlier in the week and played just three minutes in the quarterfinal, he cited a finger injury as the reason for his limited minutes. On the flip side, Collet explained that the decision was one made because of matchups.

His absence from the starting lineup against Canada coincided with fellow NBA vet Evan Fournier also being omitted from the starting five. In the case of Fournier, though, his absence from the starting five came on the heels of comments criticizing the team's gameplan in their final group phase game.

Nevertheless, he played an integral role in the team's win over Canada, and checked into Thursday's France-Germany game in the first quarter, whereas Rudy Gobert didn't play in the first quarter of Thursday's semifinal matchup against Germany, and didn't check in until the second quarter.

---

"It's nothing serious" - Rudy Gobert opens up about an injury that allegedly limited his playing time

After Tuesday's France vs Canada quarterfinal, Rudy Gobert spoke to media members about his limited playing time. As he explained, he suffered a finger injury in practice that apparently required surgery leading up to France's clash with Canada.

In an interview with French outlet L'Equipe, he spoke about Collet's decision to remove him from the starting lineup and the severity of his injury:

"The plan worked, given how we started the match. There were several reasons why I didn't play, between the matchups but also what can happen in training, with the injuries. ... I was on the operating table last night. To be able to play in an Olympic quarterfinal, it was incredible."

" It's nothing serious, that's all I can say," he said.

Nevertheless, Vincent Collet explained that he didn't start Rudy Gobert or play him more than a few minutes because of the fact that Canada plays with a small-ball lineup. As a result, he opted to move Victor Wembanyama to the starting spot, with Guerschon Yabusele starting at the power forward spot.

The decision seemingly paid off, with France picking up an 82-73 win over Canada, who finished third in the FIBA World Cup. In addition, Yabusele led the team in scoring with 22 points over 30 minutes of play.

While Collet explained that Gobert got the all-clear to play from the surgeon, he wanted to protect him and keep him on the bench if possible. As he explained at the time, Gobert would play against Germany, with the big man eventually checking in during the second quarter of action on Thursday.