Identity crisis?

[minimus]

A few things that I've noticed:

* - in last two games with Towns MIN is in NBA top2 in terms number of postups. Other teams are NOP, DEN, PHI and LAL. This is product of many things, but mostly matchup hunting and execution. I mean if one of Conley/Anderson/Towns sees, recognises matchup you can see how they move the ball, or working for better position in the low/high post. when I watch DEN and SAC offense I see how quickly, almost automatically Jokic and Sabonis go and exploit any matchup. I hope our players get same mentality. Here is big statement from Naz Reid who describes well matchup hunting mentality

Read on Twitter

Another example of consistent matchup hunting were two stretches from MCD, who scored like 10 pts against Young and ATL, and was 6-6 in first quarter playing mostly against Huerter today in SAC. this aggressive, consistent mentality is a key

* - in last 15 games MIN is the best team in NBA in passes made per game (310.8), top-4 in assist per game (28.4). This is a combination of Finch vision, Conley unselfishness and Anderson basketball IQ.

* - As many already noticed Naz Reid shares the big part of load in offense, basically playing 6th man scorer. It is something I never thought of. I always thought that Reid cant create much offense for himself, and cant play at PF slot. However, recent Nowell and Edwards injuries left no choice, and our offensive system has been using the best remaining players and deliver results.

* - it blows my mind, but we have four (!!!) capable bigs in this roster. Here are some stats the last three games:

Gobert - 12.7 ppg, 15.3 rpg
Reid - 22.3 ppg, 6 rpg
Towns - 18 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg, clutch FTs and 3pt shot
Garza - 38 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.5 apg (two last games in g-league)

I still have no idea how it works, but I am glad that any of Towns mistakes (moving screen or loose ball foul) or Gobert flagrant foul dont lead to complete meltdown, because we can always sub another big in the game.

[TimberKat]

The eye test tells me we are finding Gobert more often in offense which in turn opens more 3s and drive opportunities for other players. Teams have to drop back half a step to cover Gobert. I also see more conventional post up for Gobert instead of just dunk spots (like Vanderbilt). Somebody could look up the stats and see if that is true. He would not have the opportunity to shoot that ugly fad away early in the season.

Bigger question is how can we change our poor FT shooting team identity. Can't have Gobert being our best FT shooter ( That could be good if Gobert shoots around 85%).

[Guest84]

Interesting take here...much of which has been discussed endlessly here already.

Watch on YouTube

;t=71s

[Guest84]

Interesting comparison for this wolves team…

https://www.canishoopus.com/platform/amp/2023/4/1/23661000/rasheed-wallace-offers-technical-approach-minnesota-timberwolves-karl-anthony-towns-rudy-gobert-nba

[Guest84]

Not to overreact, and I know this has been discussed at nausea but who do we seriously see as core pieces going forward? I preface by saying, I'm still waiting to see how the season/play-in/playoffs end for this team to fully decide but here are my current thoughts.

Players to keep long-term:

Ant - Trending upwards as the star player but is he too nice to lead? I feel like Ant has BEST player talent but he feeds off the energy of others around him as opposed to providing it himself like a true star. Is Ant more of a dynamic number 2?

Jaden - Trending upwards as a core player with untapped potential. But does he truly have star potential? Is he more of a glue guy? Is he a TRUE starting caliber player on a winning team?

Kyle - High IQ player that has shown his value for this team. Our version of Draymond.

Naz - Not a star/starter but a great glue guy. His play style, energy, and heart do wonders for this team. You can't substitute that. (Expendable if a better option is available)

To me, the above players are who we should keep. However, I realize "politicals" will force us to keep Kat and Rudy although I'm not so sure we should. Chemistry was actually being built with Rudy while Kat was out and the defensive identity was becoming consistent. Players started to understand their roles and were enjoying playing together.

I felt that Kat coming back would affect the chemistry but I think his performance in the wins was fool's gold for the fan base (Not in terms of his play but rather the overall team trajectory). Did this lead to Finch having to make him more of a focal point? Is there pressure from "upstairs" on Finch to do things he maybe doesn't want to?

I'm big on team chemistry. Having a bunch of talent doesn't always make for the best team if they don't fit. Teams like GS, Phx, Den, etc have players that seamlessly fit together. Not a lot of our players do in my opinion. It just so happens that our big money guys might fall into this category.

[bluethunder0005]

Not to overreact, and I know this has been discussed at nausea but who do we seriously see as core pieces going forward? I preface by saying, I'm still waiting to see how the season/play-in/playoffs end for this team to fully decide but here are my current thoughts.

Players to keep long-term:

Ant - Trending upwards as the star player but is he too nice to lead? I feel like Ant has BEST player talent but he feeds off the energy of others around him as opposed to providing it himself like a true star. Is Ant more of a dynamic number 2?

Jaden - Trending upwards as a core player with untapped potential. But does he truly have star potential? Is he more of a glue guy? Is he a TRUE starting caliber player on a winning team?

Kyle - High IQ player that has shown his value for this team. Our version of Draymond.

Naz - Not a star/starter but a great glue guy. His play style, energy, and heart do wonders for this team. You can't substitute that. (Expendable if a better option is available)

To me, the above players are who we should keep. However, I realize "politicals" will force us to keep Kat and Rudy although I'm not so sure we should. Chemistry was actually being built with Rudy while Kat was out and the defensive identity was becoming consistent. Players started to understand their roles and were enjoying playing together.

I felt that Kat coming back would affect the chemistry but I think his performance in the wins was fool's gold for the fan base (Not in terms of his play but rather the overall team trajectory). Did this lead to Finch having to make him more of a focal point? Is there pressure from "upstairs" on Finch to do things he maybe doesn't want to?

I'm big on team chemistry. Having a bunch of talent doesn't always make for the best team if they don't fit. Teams like GS, Phx, Den, etc have players that seamlessly fit together. Not a lot of our players do in my opinion. It just so happens that our big money guys might fall into this category.

I'm in agreement on Ant, Jaden, and Kyle. I'm not so sure I agree with Naz. Maybe this fan base likes him so much because of his energy and there are games where he does explode as a microwave 6th man, but in general the Wolves have been significantly better with him off the court vs when he's on it. He has the 3rd worst On/Off for the entire roster barely ahead of Austin Rivers. Maybe that's largely playing with the other members of the reserves but their numbers aren't as bad. Naz is an undersized C who is a weak defender, rebounder, and rim protector. He can fit, but honestly the team would need a PF that compliments that or he needs to play with Gobert and Jaden to hide his problems.

KAT annoys me more than anyone on the team, but there is a reason why he's a focal point and that's simply because he's the most efficient scorer on the roster. Ant is taking 3 more shots a game this year than last year's KAT and he's scoring .1 points a game less on average. That efficiency is hard to replace, and it makes it even harder because without him the teams 3pt shooting lacks a high volume high % shooter. He is the first person I want traded from the main core and I agree in general that team chemistry is huge in the NBA, but the team without KAT has obvious holes that would need fixing.

[Guest84]

Not to overreact, and I know this has been discussed at nausea but who do we seriously see as core pieces going forward? I preface by saying, I'm still waiting to see how the season/play-in/playoffs end for this team to fully decide but here are my current thoughts.

Players to keep long-term:

Ant - Trending upwards as the star player but is he too nice to lead? I feel like Ant has BEST player talent but he feeds off the energy of others around him as opposed to providing it himself like a true star. Is Ant more of a dynamic number 2?

Jaden - Trending upwards as a core player with untapped potential. But does he truly have star potential? Is he more of a glue guy? Is he a TRUE starting caliber player on a winning team?

Kyle - High IQ player that has shown his value for this team. Our version of Draymond.

Naz - Not a star/starter but a great glue guy. His play style, energy, and heart do wonders for this team. You can't substitute that. (Expendable if a better option is available)

I'm in agreement on Ant, Jaden, and Kyle. I'm not so sure I agree with Naz. Maybe this fan base likes him so much because of his energy and there are games where he does explode as a microwave 6th man, but in general the Wolves have been significantly better with him off the court vs when he's on it. He has the 3rd worst On/Off for the entire roster barely ahead of Austin Rivers. Maybe that's largely playing with the other members of the reserves but their numbers aren't as bad. Naz is an undersized C who is a weak defender, rebounder, and rim protector. He can fit, but honestly the team would need a PF that compliments that or he needs to play with Gobert and Jaden to hide his problems.

KAT annoys me more than anyone on the team, but there is a reason why he's a focal point and that's simply because he's the most efficient scorer on the roster. Ant is taking 3 more shots a game this year than last year's KAT and he's scoring .1 points a game less on average. That efficiency is hard to replace, and it makes it even harder because without him the teams 3pt shooting lacks a high volume high % shooter. He is the first person I want traded from the main core and I agree in general that team chemistry is huge in the NBA, but the team without KAT has obvious holes that would need fixing.

While I don't think Naz is a true core piece, a decision on his contract is fast approaching. I'm personally trying to look at it from the perspective of who fits best with our future core so to speak. Of course, if you can upgrade him then I would do so. While I think numbers are part of the story, I don't believe they tell the whole story.

Kat for instance, yes he's efficient on offense but like Jaden, his fouls take him off the court. What good is a player if they can't stay on the court? Not only that, I think we have to look at how the team plays with certain players on the court. Kat just seems to be an odd fit with the rest of the core. His rebounding numbers have dropped every year since 2018, why? Games played have declined every year since that same year. He's slow-footed and is playing out of position. I love the "idea" of pairing his game with Ant but the reality is it just might not be a fit as currently constructed.

I'm not saying trade Kat but it may def need to be considered. We've seen 8 years of him and he just doesn't truly contribute to sustained winning. Although it's hard to truly evaluate this year due to all the injuries. We need some high IQ dogs on this team, which is something we've never really had. Truly a "Minnesota Nice" team.

[TimberKat]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

[BlacJacMac]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

Lillard or Murray for Naz?

I'd have to imagine that offer would get destroyed by other teams.

Naz has been playing his best ball ever, but he probably has late 1st round pick value at best. Plus he'd have to want to go to the team we'd be sign and trading him to.

Guys like Lillard and Murray are likely going to get multiple picks and a good player back in return.

[Colbinii]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

I wish I was this big of a blind homer.

TAKE OUR UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT AND WE WANT LILLARD OR MURRAY! I MAY EVEN BE WILLING TO PART WITH JOSH MINOTT!

[Dalvin]

I think the best rotation right now would be just let Towns start and sit him after a mins and inserts Slo-Mo, this is what Finch is already doing and that's why our first quarter has been good, since the Gobert-SloMo-Ant-Jaden-Conley has already established an identity. Let Towns feast on the opposing teams bench unit with Naz gone with an injury. Towns just essentially replaces Naz's instant offense. He definitely can carry the offense with JMac handling the ball and Prince-NAW providing spacing and some defense on the 2nd unit.

Definitely watching these last 3 games, just to maximize my league pass in case they blow thise 3 games and miss the play-in and/or playoffs

[TimberKat]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

Lillard or Murray for Naz?

I'd have to imagine that offer would get destroyed by other teams.

Naz has been playing his best ball ever, but he probably has late 1st round pick value at best. Plus he'd have to want to go to the team we'd be sign and trading him to.

Guys like Lillard and Murray are likely going to get multiple picks and a good player back in return.

Due to his age, contract, and want to be with a competitive team, his market is smaller than what most believes. Could Lakers, Clippers, Dallas, Phoenix, GSW? I think Wolves are in better position than Heat but even if he goes there than Lowry will be available. I don't even know what Heat had that Portland wants. You guys are way too negative about the Wolves. We have 4 guys on the team that had made the All Star team plus two solid guys in Slowmo and JMac. Whoever we get for Naz should make us strong enough to make a run. What can NYK or ATL offer?

[TimberKat]

I think the best rotation right now would be just let Towns start and sit him after a mins and inserts Slo-Mo, this is what Finch is already doing and that's why our first quarter has been good, since the Gobert-SloMo-Ant-Jaden-Conley has already established an identity. Let Towns feast on the opposing teams bench unit with Naz gone with an injury. Towns just essentially replaces Naz's instant offense. He definitely can carry the offense with JMac handling the ball and Prince-NAW providing spacing and some defense on the 2nd unit.

Definitely watching these last 3 games, just to maximize my league pass in case they blow thise 3 games and miss the play-in and/or playoffs

Exactly. I am thinking the same. Towns should just put up whatever shot he sees. It's not like Naz is any better on D. However, I will not watch them live. Only watch if they win

[BlacJacMac]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

Lillard or Murray for Naz?

I'd have to imagine that offer would get destroyed by other teams.

Naz has been playing his best ball ever, but he probably has late 1st round pick value at best. Plus he'd have to want to go to the team we'd be sign and trading him to.

Guys like Lillard and Murray are likely going to get multiple picks and a good player back in return.

Due to his age, contract, and want to be with a competitive team, his market is smaller than what most believes. Could Lakers, Clippers, Dallas, Phoenix, GSW? I think Wolves are in better position than Heat but even if he goes there than Lowry will be available. I don't even know what Heat had that Portland wants. You guys are way too negative about the Wolves. We have 4 guys on the team that had made the All Star team plus two solid guys in Slowmo and JMac. Whoever we get for Naz should make us strong enough to make a run. What can NYK or ATL offer?

We're not getting a star for Naz and zero 1st round picks.

It has nothing to do with the remaining talent on the team, it just is what it is.

[Note30]

I still believe in the Gobert / Towns combo. Naz is the last chip we have on the table. Let's hope we get Lillard or Murray or someone along that line for this last chip.

Lillard or Murray for Naz?

I'd have to imagine that offer would get destroyed by other teams.

Naz has been playing his best ball ever, but he probably has late 1st round pick value at best. Plus he'd have to want to go to the team we'd be sign and trading him to.

Guys like Lillard and Murray are likely going to get multiple picks and a good player back in return.

Due to his age, contract, and want to be with a competitive team, his market is smaller than what most believes. Could Lakers, Clippers, Dallas, Phoenix, GSW? I think Wolves are in better position than Heat but even if he goes there than Lowry will be available. I don't even know what Heat had that Portland wants. You guys are way too negative about the Wolves. We have 4 guys on the team that had made the All Star team plus two solid guys in Slowmo and JMac. Whoever we get for Naz should make us strong enough to make a run. What can NYK or ATL offer?

Dude. He's a UFA, all we could do is a sign and trade which we can but he's not Kevin Durant he's Naz Reid the max we could bag is maybe an average level starter for team that has a lot of guard depth and not much big depth.

A Terry Rozier would be the max we could get.

And that being said why? Naz was the key for this team in the past 20 games.

[TimberKat]

Lillard or Murray for Naz?

I'd have to imagine that offer would get destroyed by other teams.

Naz has been playing his best ball ever, but he probably has late 1st round pick value at best. Plus he'd have to want to go to the team we'd be sign and trading him to.

Guys like Lillard and Murray are likely going to get multiple picks and a good player back in return.

Due to his age, contract, and want to be with a competitive team, his market is smaller than what most believes. Could Lakers, Clippers, Dallas, Phoenix, GSW? I think Wolves are in better position than Heat but even if he goes there than Lowry will be available. I don't even know what Heat had that Portland wants. You guys are way too negative about the Wolves. We have 4 guys on the team that had made the All Star team plus two solid guys in Slowmo and JMac. Whoever we get for Naz should make us strong enough to make a run. What can NYK or ATL offer?

Dude. He's a UFA, all we could do is a sign and trade which we can but he's not Kevin Durant he's Naz Reid the max we could bag is maybe an average level starter for team that has a lot of guard depth and not much big depth.

A Terry Rozier would be the max we could get.

And that being said why? Naz was the key for this team in the past 20 games.

The main point of my statement is use Naz + whatever as the last chip and get the last piece we need. I think we are that close. Rozier seems to fit but his 3pt shooting is a little low. I haven't watch him so maybe he is a Nowell upgrade?

At the same time, I like to see you guys come up with a good Lillard trade that make sense for both teams. I don't think Jazz, Kings, OKC or NYK wants Lillard. Maybe BKN? Will Lillard want to go to BKN? If Lillard goes to LAL or LAC, than DLo fans rejoice, use DLo or Westbrook as bench scorer.

[BlacJacMac]

Due to his age, contract, and want to be with a competitive team, his market is smaller than what most believes. Could Lakers, Clippers, Dallas, Phoenix, GSW? I think Wolves are in better position than Heat but even if he goes there than Lowry will be available. I don't even know what Heat had that Portland wants. You guys are way too negative about the Wolves. We have 4 guys on the team that had made the All Star team plus two solid guys in Slowmo and JMac. Whoever we get for Naz should make us strong enough to make a run. What can NYK or ATL offer?

Dude. He's a UFA, all we could do is a sign and trade which we can but he's not Kevin Durant he's Naz Reid the max we could bag is maybe an average level starter for team that has a lot of guard depth and not much big depth.

A Terry Rozier would be the max we could get.

And that being said why? Naz was the key for this team in the past 20 games.

The main point of my statement is use Naz + whatever as the last chip and get the last piece we need. I think we are that close. Rozier seems to fit but his 3pt shooting is a little low. I haven't watch him so maybe he is a Nowell upgrade?

At the same time, I like to see you guys come up with a good Lillard trade that make sense for both teams. I don't think Jazz, Kings, OKC or NYK wants Lillard. Maybe BKN? Will Lillard want to go to BKN? If Lillard goes to LAL or LAC, than DLo fans rejoice, use DLo or Westbrook as bench scorer.

There isn't one. Unless you're giving up McDaniels, Minott and somehow acquiring more picks so we can trade them.

If Lillard could be had for a deal centered around Naz Reid, every other team in the league would line-up to beat that and figure out how to incorporate him later.

Just because he's our last chip doesn't make him a "flag". He's at best a green or black.

[shrink]

At the same time, I like to see you guys come up with a good Lillard trade that make sense for both teams.

The problem here is that each has more value to their current team, because they are stars that want to be there.

Also, Lillard will cannibalize Ant’s avenues for growth far more than KAT.

[minimus]

I have impression that after got NAW and Conley, we are not that bad in terms of 50/50 rebounds and defensive rebounds. Also it feels like Towns is more focused on getting defensive rebounds(although sometime I wish he was more focused on contesting 3pt shots when he plays with Gobert). Also I hope MCD improves as rebounder next year.

[Guest84]

Kenny Smith made an interesting point. He asked, “can you imagine Ant in an uptempo system?” But then went on to say that the wolves star (Ant) don’t fit the players around him.

Instead of being a dynamic star most nights due to not getting easier more efficient baskets, etc. trans can make him a volume shooter because most of his offense is coming out of the half court. This is due to the two big system and having to play at a slower pace to incorporate them.

He did say the organization has some soul searching to do and I agree. Especially since Finch continues to keep mentioning “identity” in post game interviews. How can a coach not instill an identity over a 82 game season? That’s training camp stuff. Of course the injuries throw chemistry off but you can clearly tell Ant wants to push but we just don’t have the players next to him who can.

This is why those smaller lineups with Naz worked and the wolves would go on big runs at times. The styles just fit better next to Ant. But I digress