ZACH LAVINE

Wolves Week 7 T-Cap (Highlights)

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If you’ve been a Wolves fan for the last couple years, one of the more fun things to do is watch highlights of our individual prospects. Mainly because we love to see them perform well but also because the outcome of the game doesn’t seem to matter. Not to mention, Mondays and Youtube seem to be a wonderful mix. Its how you stay positive when your team is rebuilding. So I’ve decided moving forward, we will just highlight the Wolves results from the previous Monday through Sunday and any individual highlights you can rewatch here. It’ll be a weekly segment that we will call your T-cap. Enjoy!

Monday, December 7th: Clippers 110 Timberwolves 106 – L

Zach LaVine: 21 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjIxkTkr9Ms

Karl-Anthony Towns: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

 

Wednesday, December 9th: Lakers 122 Timberwolves 123 OT – W

Karl-Anthony Towns: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D37D_Gi2hjI

Andrew Wiggins: 19 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iL562q6Bx4

 

Friday, December 11th: Wolves 108 Nuggets 111 OT – L

Andrew Wiggins: 22 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZlUA_YCuSw

Karl-Anthony Towns: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrU8P6FlGg

 

Sunday, December 13th: Wolves 101, Suns 108 – L

Zach LaVine: 28 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMOaB4TWCJA

 

Wolves Record: 1-3 (9-14 Overall)

BONUS!

Tyus Jones: 27 points & 8 assists in NBDL Debut for the Idaho Stampede

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 15th vs Nuggets

Dec. 16th @ Knicks

Dec. 18th vs Kings

Dec. 20th @ Nets

Recap: Overall, Wolves drop 3 of 4 games in the last week. They stay close in most games, taking two of them to overtime. Wolves are able to keep close but are not able to compete at this point. This week’s schedule looks light, but predicted a 2-2 split.

 

Tyus Jones’ Development is Critical

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Tyus Jones was sent to the D-league for assignment with the Idaho Stampede, affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Jones was sent down after appearing in two games for the Wolves in limited minutes. The hometown hero had some nice numbers in a couple games in the preseason and was okay in the NBA Summer League but there is a lot of work to be done for the Duke star. Jones is physically not ready to compete at the NBA-level. The 19-year old also is just not at a level where he can defend anyone in the NBA.

Jones’ first game went well. Although the Stampede lost, Jones put up 27 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers. Its what you expect from a first-round pick in the NBA. But the drop off talent is huge from the NBA to the D-league, and probably a drop from Tyus’ ACC competition from last season. But Jones gets to work with some interesting players on the Idaho Stampede. The best player on the Stampede seems to be Jeff Ayres, an NBA veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Spurs. The Stampede also has Phil Pressey, who was recently cut by the 76ers, and Utah Jazz assignee, rookie Tibor Pliess. Pliess was the first pick of the second round in the 2010 draft and currently has a place on the Jazz roster.

Tyus Jones has a special place in many Minnesotans’ hearts. Someone who can beat Wisconsin for a National Championship and be from Minnesota is an instant legend. But when Jones was drafted, there were still a lot of questions about his game translating to the NBA. He was taken at 24, where he has lesser expectations but still expected to become a solid pro. The Wolves played against the Lakers where Larry Nance Jr, drafted a few spots after Jones, started. It isn’t saying much since it is the Lakers, but just worth noting.

Jones going to the D-league can absolutely be a blessing and is absolutely necessary given the Wolves situation currently. The last Timberwolf to be sent to the D-league was Shabazz Muhammed, who dominated while he was there indicating that he deserved playing time. He then received the playing time he deserved last season before getting hurt and missing the remainder of the season. But Shabazz is a fringe starter (or at least should be) in his third year and is still considered a valuable asset, being that teams are inquiring about him and the Wolves don’t want to trade him.

Tyus has a good amount to work on. First, he simply needs experience and to master his craft. Its scary to think that a player can go from being a freshmen starter at Duke to barely playing the year after. Being that Jones is 19, it would be the equivalent of a super smart kid dropping out of school for a year and then expected to pick it up again later. It’s probably the first time Jones hasn’t been one of the best players on his team, let alone being the worst. Getting clock and not forgetting how to play the game is important just to not simply fall off. This is more reason why the Wolves need their own affiliate so they don’t need to wait for a team to accept their players and can continue their development with their own coaches. It helps that Wolves GM Milt Newton is friends with Dean Cooper, the coach of the Stampede.

Next Tyus really needs to work on his defense. His defense is what is preventing him from getting any playing time in the league. Players are just faster and stronger at this point. If he wants to be on the court, he needs to be able to stay in front of another backup point guard. The key here is just to not become a liability on the defensive end. Just hold your own. Tyus has to work on his strength, speed, and just understanding the angles that need to be played to ensure that his guy doesn’t blow past him without any time for a help defender to get there to protect the rim.

For Tyus’ future, Jones will have to be able to shoot. The Wolves need 3-point shooting desperately and to be relevant in the NBA as a point guard, you need to be able to shoot. Just as Ricky Rubio. To Tyus’ credit, he has shown that he can shoot a bit. But for Tyus to really have a long-term career in the NBA, he needs to be a lethal shooter from 3. I am always reminded of Wes Mathews story of making it int he NBA as a 2nd-Round pick. He essentially was told; if you want to make the team you have to be a great shooter. He learned how to shoot and now is an overpaid player coming off of a major injury. But shooters will get overpaid and have a place in the league. That is a success story. If Tyus Jones can knock down an open three consistently, he will find his way into games.

Lastly, Jones will need to learn how to facilitate an offense. This is a strength of his. He is a smart player on the court and is capable of finding the open man. He just needs to be able to do this at a professional level. If he can learn to take what the coach tells him and translate it onto the court, he will be a favorite of his coach and will get playing time. Just hope that coach isn’t Sam Mitchell.

The Timberwolves need Tyus Jones to develop. One of the biggest holes on the team is the backup point guard. The Wolves need a backup point guard desperately for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason they need one is due to the uncertainty around Ricky Rubio’s jump shot and health. When Rubio is playing, things are good for the Wolves. But what happens if he isn’t playing? Rubio is officially a guy who can’t go 40 minutes and probably not 82 games. Having a backup capable of starting in his place is essential. The Wolves don’t have that currently.

What the Wolves do have currently is shooting guard Zach LaVine. LaVine playing shooting guard helps the Wolves a lot more than Zach LaVine playing point guard. But if you have been following out T-logs, you know this already. But if this year, or more than likely next year, Jones can step up as a solid reserve, LaVine can move in and start as a shooting guard. Zach LaVine moving into the shooting guard slot may be the next step the Wolves need to make a jump next year. We also know that Andre Miller just can’t do it anymore for a season. He is older than KG.

The Wolves need to address a reserve point guard soon. The hope is Jones develops fast enough to fill that void before they go out and find a new one. If Jones can become a 3&D facilitating point guard, he will have a long career in the league. If Jones can develop into this, he will be able to provide support at the point guard position and push LaVine to his natural position, two things that are much needed for the Wolves.

CVg_GN7UAAAdoqH

The Timber Rebuilder

Decoding Sam Mitchell

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The Timberwolves are already half-way to their win total from last season and it is only the beginning of December. So if comparing this season to seasons past, its been a significant improvement. There are things you can attribute to coaching, roster moves, team chemistry, and to player development. But just because things have improved does not mean that couldn’t be better. The Wolves have won some games they shouldn’t have (sweeping the Hawks and winning in Miami) and lost games they probably could’ve won (twice against the Magic).

Part of the tug-of-war between the front office and the coaching staff is always one of player development vs the outcome this season. The beauty of having a GM-Coach like the role Flip Saunders had is that there is absolutely a balance. Although the Wolves were terrible last season, its clear that Wiggins and LaVine developed a lot over the course of the season into this one and the Wolves were able to identify that the ROI (Return on Investment) on Anthony Bennett wasn’t worth it. Wiggins & LaVine look like they are among the best rookies from last season because of this balance and the Wolves are now better positioned to be a contender in the future. Now with Mitchell in his position, he is fighting to prove he is worthy of being a coach passed this season.

Mitchell biggest criticism thus far which is probably evenly split between Wolves fans is Karl-Anthony Towns’ minutes. He has seen a dramatic decrease in minutes and has struggled in the limited minutes after having a historic start to the season for the rookie. Gorgui Dieng has seem more minutes and to his credit, has produced nicely. But many believe that Towns does give the Wolves a better chance to win and should see any minutes in the fourth quarter. Over the last five games, Towns has averaged 22 minutes a game and on many occasions hasn’t played in the 4th quarter.

Mitchell has come out and finally spoke on the minutes issues for Towns and says he doesn’t want to burn him out and says its part of the learning process. Trusting the process can be rough though, just as the Sixers. This was the first time Mitchell actually spoke about it, as there were many questions as to why Towns was not playing and the Wolves continued to lose in close games. Towns did take the high road and said his minutes in College prepared him for this. Sam Mitchell is trying to win games, which is understood. But you have to believe, Karl-Anthony Towns playing in the fourth quarter a little more would probably help that cause along.

The next criticism against Mitchell has been his handling of another young prospect, Zach LaVine. Mitchell started training camp naming LaVine the starting shooting guard and then moved him to the bench as the back up point guard. After a slow start, it was clear LaVine was most effective as a shooting guard and not effective at the point. Once it was realized the Wolves couldn’t afford Tayshaun Prince in the starting lineup, the struggling Kevin Martin was moved in to replace Prince. LaVine currently has a PER of 18.2, which is an improvement from last season 11.3 PER. LaVine also has the 4th highest Win Share on the team at 1.1, where Martin has a .5 WS and Prince with .2. LaVine’s Box Plus/Minus has improved leaps and bounds from last season, where he has a BPM this season of 2.2, where it was a terrible -4.5 last year. Kevin Martin has a BPM of -4.3 right now. Long story short, not only has LaVine improved, but he is playing much better than Martin or Prince this season.

The concern in all of this worries fans that followed Mitchell in Toronto. In case you didn’t know, Sam Mitchell was awarded Coach of the Year 2006-2007 but was the coach who allowed Kobe to score 81 points and also failed to develop a lot of key pieces while there, namely former number 1 pick Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani was restricted on minutes early on and never built the kind of relationship you would want out of your top draft pick and your head coach. He also failed to develop many draft picks who seemed to have the potential to succeed in this league. Many players left Toronto disgruntled, which led to a poor season and his termination soon after.

Lastly, the rotations Sam Mitchell is using are questionable at best. Staggering and balancing bench players with starters is a way to keep the level of talent on the floor at least even while you rest your best players. Mitchell has played his bench through long and important minutes through the 4th quarter which usually puts the team in a deeper deficit than it needs to be. It seems like substitutions are more reactionary than tactically decided. It also seems that even if a guy is playing well, they still seem to not get the minutes, like Shabazz Mohammad. It is just difficult to see the logic Mitchell is using to decide who is on the floor.

It is important to point out that there are things Sam Mitchell is doing right too. Mitchell is a players’ coach. He seems to be able to relate to players and understand them. Mitchell also seemingly has a good relationship with KG, in which he probably serves as the most important person to Garnett in the organization at this point. But on the court, the Wolves have clearly improved as a team. They have moved away from the bottom of the barrel in the league defensively, to at one point one of the best teams in that category this season. There have been woes offensively where the team has shot below 40% a couple of times and are not leveraging their young by struggling in fast break points.

The Wolves are also playing with a grit that they lacked in previous seasons. They don’t give up after they go down by 10. They stay close at the end of games. And it doesn’t feel like we are going to lose every game within 5 like a few seasons ago with Rick Adelman. Its hard to tell if this is because Garnett is inspiring the young guys or if Mitchell is motivating these guys to play hard, it does deserve praise. For this alone, its clear Mitchell is not warranting any sort of dramatic firing. But again, this team’s number one priority is development and what the franchise is banking on. So the criticism is warranted.

The truth of the matter is this Sam Mitchell will likely coach out this year. The Wolves are not in a position to win a championship at the given moment and the team is performing at about their expectations. I also believe Glen Taylor is going to try and figure out how to move forward on what happens with the GM & Coaching void Flip left behind. What will be said, the hope is Sam Mitchell is not the Wolves coach the 2016-17 season. The development of the key pieces on this roster is far more important than Sam Mitchell’s wizardry on the bench. I don’t believe the Wolves as an organization can afford Mitchell as head coach another season, especially with the talent pool of available head coaches.

Wolves Bench Gives Reason to Excite

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The Wolves find themselves at 8-8 16 games into the season. There have been many ups and downs thus far. Lots of attention has been placed on the young Wolves’ performance, namely that of Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zach LaVine, rightfully so. Andrew Wiggins is putting up All-Star-Like scoring numbers. Towns has started the season in a historical fashion. Injuries have plagued Ricky Rubio early in that he has missed 5 of the 16 games. The Wolves have been the 2nd best team on the road, only behind the undefeated Warriors. They have also started slow in only winning two games at home.

All of that aside along with the talk about Sam Mitchell’s questionable rotations, the Wolves look like a decent team all of a sudden. You have to believe that the Wolves are doing some things right. One thing that is going unseen though is the bench play of the Wolves. The Wolves have the highest scoring bench in the league averaging 44.4 points a game. The Wolves bench also leads the league in minutes playing 1770. The Wolves bench is also the most offensive efficient bench and second in defensive efficiency. These numbers are surprising, being that the Wolves have historically had terrible bench play since the ‘Zoo Crew’.

So how is this made possible? First, there are a few fringe starters sitting on the Wolves bench. Zach LaVine has been playing in place of the injured Rubio when he is out and is continuing to prove that he can play in this league. LaVine has finally been able to stay in front of some guards as he had shown in the Hawks and Kings games. His passes and shot selection is still questionable. He also still struggles to get through picks. But he is proving to be a very reliable scorer, as he has become the second leading scorer on the team with 14.4 points a game. He has blossomed when in the starting lineup, but against the Hawks he was the leading scorer off of the bench with 18 points.

After that, the play of Shabazz Muhammed has been coming around to be the super efficient scorer he used to be. He was able to score 15 points in 15 minutes and is showing that he can shoot the 3 effectively again, bringing his 3pt% to 33% on the season after a slow start. He still remains fairly inconsistent and isn’t getting enough minutes to get in a rhythm, but he still remains a factor.

As much as Gorgui Dieng has bothered me this season, he is putting up some decent numbers as of late and is rebounding the ball well. It seems as if he has managed to lose some basketball IQ as his career has progressed, but he is developing himself into a good rotation player and maybe a starter eventually. He is winning the trust of Sam Mitchell and taking minutes from Towns as this point.

The Wolves then get help all-around from the likes of Adrien Payne, Andre Miller, Rudez, and Prince. The Wolves will get an even greater boost when Bjelica returns from his injury because he was the lone wolf early on in the season that seemed to be producing off of the bench. After a slow start for the Wolves in which leads would go to die when the Wolves bench entered the game, the last few games is showing how deep this team can be by actually extending leads. It will also be interesting when Pekovic makes his return, whenever that is. It would be ideal for him to play limited minutes and now he is in a position where the Wolves don’t need more than that out of him when/ if he returns.

While I don’t agree with Sam Mitchell’s minutes distribution and rotation, the Wolves have scraped their way back to .500. I personally don’t think an entire group of bench players should be on the floor at once, but it has worked. Many players have stepped up to get a three wins in a row, and many of them are guys off the bench. In the three games the bench has carried the team, Towns has struggled to get his game going. Its not a time to panic. The Wolves are winning and Towns seems to be the type of player that can manage adversity well. And in the event that he can’t, he has many veterans around him to guide him.

The question remains on what to do with the starting lineup nonetheless. Kevin Martin has looked less than mediocre, and even worse in the starting lineup. Many have to believe a move of LaVine to the starting lineup could occur sooner rather than later, being that Rubio can be decently healthy. Shabazz Muhammed could also be an option, but I get the feeling Sam Mitchell is not interested in that.

The Sam Mitchell critics will need to keep quiet as the Wolves have strung a few wins in a row with his bizarre rotations. It does, in fact, feel good to be back at .500. The Wolves play the Clippers in LA on Sunday before a few games at home.

A Surprisingly Pivotal Point in the Season

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The Wolves enter a game against the winless Philadelphia 76ers at 5-8 on the season, after a fast start. The Wolves find themselves in a position where a few games will likely define what their season will look like. They could dig a big enough hole in which it will be to difficult to climb out of later in the season or they can hang around .500 enough to make a push later in the season. The Wolves currently sit 22nd in offensive efficiency and 15th in defensive efficiency. It has been clear through the first 13 games the Wolves win games when the defense is stellar and struggle when they can’t hold their opponents to under 100 points. It has been also evident that the 2nd half is not where the Wolves prevail, giving up leads in games to the Hawks, Magic, and Pistons.

Entering the game tonight against the Sixers, something’s gotta give. Either the Sixers win their first game of the season or the Wolves win their first game at home. If you recall, the Sixers won their first game of the season last year against the Wolves after losing 19 straight, which was really the beginning of the end for the Wolves, who would essentially give up on the season and end with the worst record. The Wolves are 1-6 in the last 7 games and definitely need to turn things around if they intend on being competitive this season or it becomes another year of development.

For the Wolves, a game against the Sixers is exciting for the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns goes up against Jahlil Okafor, two Rookie of the Year candidates. Two franchises have taken different approaches to rebuilding as well, which will be interesting to see over the next few years how they pan out. The Sixers have taken the approach of just accumulating as many assests as possible, whether it is young players or draft picks, and hope they pan out, all while minimizing salary on the team. The Wolves have taken the mentorship approach of surrounding young guys with veterans in which they are also trying to compete with a developing roster.

Sam Mitchell continues to figure out how the team works and made an adjustment where Kevin Martin enters the starting lineup in replace of Tayshaun Prince. This moves Andrew Wiggins to the small forward position. This also sends the message that the Wolves are looking to improve their offense while taking a hit to their defense. I am a firm believer that Kevin Martin and Andrew Wiggins are a duo that does not bode well for Wiggins and his production as Martin takes a lot of his shots or for the team in general. Other than Gorgui Dieng, Wiggins’ net points per 100 possessions is worst when paired with Martin on the floor. It would make most sense to start LaVine at shooting guard or maybe even Shabazz Muhammad at small forward, but Sam Mitchell seems to not prefer those options still. Mitchell believes LaVine still needs to play point guard and talks of Shabazz as a starter haven’t really surfaced. Wiggins and Muhammad have only seen 53 minutes on the court together this season.

Regardless, the change indicates that change needed to happen. It will be interesting to see how many minutes Prince still gets, as he has shown that he isn’t as great of a defender as he was expected to be. The Wolves will face the Hawks, Kings, Clippers, Magic, and Blazers in the next 5 games which will be an opportunity to measure themselves against some more middle-of-the-pack teams, talent-wise. Rubio has mentioned that this is not how a winning team plays, so it will be interesting to see how the Wolves approach these next few games. The Wolves definitely need to experiment a little more with the rotations and sets on the court.

Let’s see tonight though. Our hopes are Towns gets more involved in the offense by getting more shots, there are crisp picks set, and passes aren’t happening cross court. Wolves are coming off of a practice, which Mitchell mentioned being an issue as not having enough. Hopefully the Wolves can come in and win a game they should win.

The Timber (re)Builder

The Zach LaVine Experiment

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Dec 26, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine (8) runs the ball down the court during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Entering his second season, Zach LaVine is a national attraction due to his stunning performance in the 2014-15 Dunk Contest. LaVine is a young, athletic freak who can be a highlight reel in every game. While expectations were quite low for the 20-year old after being drafted 13th in the 2014 draft and didn’t start for UCLA in his single season there, opportunities arose through multiple injuries and a youth movement last season. LaVine showed flashes of amazing and terrible.

Last season, LaVine averaged 10.1 ppg but over the final 18 games of the season averaged 18.7 ppg, 5.4 apg, and 4.9 rpg. He managed to score 37 points against the Warriors where he made 6 3-pointers. Statistically, he managed to have a solid season. LaVine came in without much experience or identity outside of his athleticism and personality, so he was a blank canvas for Coach Flip Saunders. He primarily played shooting guard making a living off of scoring in transition and making the occasional open three in college but in the NBA he would be asked to play point guard. It was something that would be much of an experiment because he offered a height advantage against point guards and matched their weight. At the beginning of the season, it was probably expected LaVine wouldn’t play much behind Ricky Rubio or the newly acquired Mo Williams. But injuries and trades happen. The opportunity presented itself. Before we knew it, the 19 year old Zach LaVine was the starting point guard.

Zach LaVine as the point guard started with Flip. LaVine proved he was an electric player that could give you highlight reel dunks, but his decision making has been questionable throughout his career. He takes midrange shots very early in the shot clock without passing a lot, which is probably the most inefficient thing to do in basketball. 29% of his shots were between 16ft and the 3-point line, accounting for the largest amount of his field goal attempts. He turned the ball over enormous amount as well, about 2.5 times a game last season, making his assist-to-turnover ratio really close to 1. That is bad for a point guard, and anyone really. Lastly, his defense was terrible. He gets stuck behind picks, is too weak to guard shooting guards, and can’t stay in front of point guards.

But there was hope. He showed he has the ability to score, athleticism that makes him difficult to guard, and a decent shooting stroke that teams have to defend. His ability to get to the line and finish around the rim made him valuable on the offensive end. The other thing that is impressive about LaVine is his demeanor. He has a wonderful work ethic, as he has visibility put on weight this season. He has a love for the game and confidence in his ability. He has shown that he can hit some big shots and doesn’t back down from a challenge.

As Sam Mitchell took over, he gave the starting 2-guard role to Zach LaVine in the preseason and said it was his position to lose. Unfortunately, he lost it rather quickly and was benched by the time the season opener came along. He looked extremely inefficient as a starter and just couldn’t keep up. So as the season started, LaVine found himself in the backup point guard role where he has also struggled early on in the season, but not as bad as the preseason. He still lacks the fundamentals, basketball IQ, and defensively ability to really be effective. But he has shown promise in some games this season.

Zach played what many called the best 11 minutes of his career (which I personally disagree) against the Hawks where he scored in double figured and ran the offense effectively as the Wolves pulled out to a 34-point lead. He then was benched for giving up that lead in the second half. He started the first game of the season last night in a loss against the Hornets where he showed signs of greatness and terribleness with 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 8 turnovers. He made some amazing plays to the basket but then also took terrible shots and made some terrible passes.

But at the end of the day, Zach LaVine is unfortunately the 2nd best point guard on this roster. The Wolves will have to live and die by his play. While as some point it may make sense to play him at shooting guard, right now the way he is going to see minutes is by playing point. What will really help his game is when he will be able to play alongside Rubio, who has made everyone play better when he is on the floor this season. But instead LaVine is on the floor with the ball-stopping Kevin Martin, the struggling Shabazz Muhammaed and Dieng, and the star rookie-vet Bjelica.

This season and next will truly determine Zach’s career projection. The Wolves will likely need to trade Kevin Martin in order to open up minutes for LaVine at the shooting guard position. LaVine will need to immediately stop taking mid range jumpers unless they are wide open and start playing better defense. He also will in time naturally add body weight so that he can compete physically in the NBA. There should come a point where LaVine will force himself to the line when he is on the same physical level as most of the players in the league. But the most important that I believe is being overlooked on LaVine is the 3-point shot. If he can develop a good consistent 3-pointer, which he is more than capable of, he will force himself onto the floor for the unique ability to get to the rim and shoot the 3.

I am a true believer Zach LaVine has the capability to be an All-Star in the NBA but the concern now is his relationship with Sam Mitchell. My worry is that Mitchell isn’t going to place LaVine in a position to succeed. While Prince is here to mentor Wiggins and KG for Towns, LaVine seems to be the forgotten child on the roster. LaVine has an incredible amount of upside, it is just beginning to look like it may not be fostered appropriately in Sam Mitchell’s coaching style. As mentioned earlier, this season and next will be defining for Zach LaVine. He will determine in the next two seasons his career projection. He could end up anywhere between a mix of Russell Westbrook athletically mixed with Jamal Crawford’s skillset, or a combo guard version of J.R. Smith.

In assessing the Wolves current inventory of players, he serves as an insurance policy to Ricky Rubio and capable of playing big minutes. Tyus Jones seems to be like the future backup point guard if Ricky does remain healthy. As for shooting guard, it depends on what Andrew Wiggins becomes. Shabazz Muhammed is also still defining himself in which position he will play. But LaVine could grow naturally as a combo guard for the Wolves as roles are defined in these next two seasons. The hope would be he plays more shooting guard than point guard when its all said and done. But for now, we are left with a guy playing point guard who has all the potential of a superstar without the fundamentals or IQ.

Game 1 Recap: Wolves Win Thriller over Lakers in Season Opener

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The Wolves opened the season against the Lakers with heavy hearts still from Sunday’s news. The Wolves wore ‘WE’ shirts that said ‘Flip’ on them as well, that the Timberwolves should absolutely sell to the public and donate a portion of the profits to Cancer Research. Yup, quick tangent.

Anyways, the Wolves were down by 16 in the second half and were brought back into the game by the same bench that put them into that deficit. The Wolves were led by Ricky Rubio’s career-high 28 points and 14 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 12 assists in his NBA debut. Many Wolves were emotional after the game and dedicated the game to the late Flip Saunders.

I got to watch the game, so my thoughts below.

The Good:

Ricky Rubio. Ricky hit a few early 3-pointers that the Lakers were giving him because of his reputation. Rubio also showed that he can finish around the rim by being aggressive and finishing with contact. Ricky put the team on his back, scoring 28 and then distributing out 14 dimes. It was the kind of game we have been dreaming about for years. The Wolves can’t expect Rubio to score this much every game, but if teams can respect his ability to get the ball in the basket, it will open up the floor for the rest of the guys. Defensively, Ricky as usual looked good. As Amin Elhassan pointed out, all he needed was a fade.

Karl Towns. He played fairly mistake-free basketball. A double-double is always a great thing to get out of your starting big man. He was the most consistent of the bigs rotation. He will start getting some offense run through him. His three point attempt looked forced, but once that gets going, sky is the limit. i loved that he didn’t look passive out there. He made the adjustments necessary defensively down the stretch and stayed out of foul trouble. 14 points and 12 rebounds, way to go rook!

Kevin Martin. While I am not the biggest endorser for K-Mart, he provided a much needed lift of the bench. He played like a savvy veteran. He did what the Wolves needed him to do, that was to score. He got to the line a ton and the best was where he forced himself to three free throws by staying aware of a dumb fould coming his way. I worried a lot having a LaVine-Martin backcourt for the simple fact that defensively, the Wolves aredisastrous. But the Wolves adjusted and for the first time in his career, Kevin Martin was applying a full court press that sent a message to the rest of the team. If K-Mart is trying defensively, everyone should.

LaVine, Shabazz, Bjelica off the bench in second half. In the first half, Bazz couldn’t get going, LaVine looked like he never played point guard before, and Bjelica picked up 3 fouls in first quarter. These three played a crucial role though in the second half. The Wolves made a run back into the game with the support of hustle and scoring by Shabazz, decent play by LaVine, and some versatile play from Bjelica. They didn’t fill up the stat sheet but each had a couple plays that changed the momentum. If they can figure out their roles and hustle as much as they did in the second half, they can be very reliable pieces for the Wolves.

The Bad:

Defense. Man the Wolves still suck defensively. It felt like a video game in the second quarter where just because the Lakers were playing the Wolves, its like everyone got better and couldn’t miss. Lou Williams dominated. Kobe couldn’t miss. We all knew the buzzer beater was coming from Swaggy P. The issue was players didn’t rotate and didn’t contest any shots. The Lakers got every shot they wanted. If KG still had hair last night, he would’ve lost it all watching that defense. This needs to be addressed quickly. We can’t win games letting opponents score 112 points.

The Rotation. Please Sam Mitchell, we don’t need to go Platoon to make KAT feel comfortable. The Wolves brought in their entire bench in the first quarter and everything collapsed. Pairing is going to be important. Bjelica couldn’t guard Randle or Hibbert. LaVine and Martin is the worst defensive backcourt combination in the NBA. Staggering guys in and out is essential. Wiggins and Martin are not good pairs. Wiggins needs to find a scoring rhythm early in the game before K-Mart enters. Its early in the season, its time to experiment with which combinations and substitutions work and which don’t.

The Ugly:

Andrew Wiggins. Unfortunately, Wiggins has the highest expectations on the team. And I often believe its not that he can’t meet them, its almost like he doesn’t want to meet them. My biggest issue is his passiveness, and I believe many agree. An adjustment for Friday’s game is to look to get Wiggins involved. Whether it be off ball screens or posting up. What he has to do is become more aggressive. Take a note out of K-Mart’s book. Get to the line and get going. All I could imagine was Wiggins in a Waldo outfit. Creepy, but where was he?

The black long sleeve jerseys. My hope is if I complain about these enough, they will disappear. They were cool when they first came out, but I can’t stand them anymore. Jersey redesign needed ASAP.

The Road Ahead

The Wolves take on the Denver Nuggets on Friday where they get to see rookie Emmanual Mudiay, who was relatively impressive in his NBA debut, although he turned the ball over 11 times. The Nuggets won their season opener in an upset over the Rockets. The Wolves will also get to see a deep and young front court of the Nuggets which has a guy from basically every European country in Gallinari, Nurkic (out until November), Lauvergne, and Jokic.  Also, former Timberwolves Randy Foye and Mike Miller play for the Nuggets.