RealGM

Some really great stuff here.

https://www.canishoopus.com/2022/9/30/23370495/deep-dive-inside-the-minnesota-timberwolves-creative-offensive-scheme-nba-preview

Bringing a discussion over to here, because I want to expound on something I wrote...

Klomp wrote:

Dewey wrote::( I’m just gonna say it … I have vibes of an injury plagued season for puppies.

I have predicted 50-55 wins, and maybe we are still gonna be able to weather the storms and still achieve that win range.

I’m done now and won’t bring it up again.

There will be injuries. What matters how you fill in for them. When you have depth pieces like Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince and Jaylen Nowell, that's a huge luxury that not many teams have.

It's pretty incredible what a luxury we have with our roster at the moment. We have two sets of dynamic duos that on their own are great building blocks for an offense. A lot of teams don't even have one duo like this.

On top of this, I want to talk about the luxury of our depth. Not just in general, but specifically our guard depth. The NBA today is a guard's game. Especially guys who can just go get buckets at any time. And while our centers are the central focus of the team (for good reason), where the roster construction is really going to stand out is the guard play. Anthony Edwards, D'Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowell....few teams have even two scoring guards that good. Our third-best was casually dropping lefty floaters last night. If one goes down, there's no reason to panic. I'm not even to other role players like Jordan McLaughlin, Austin Rivers or Bryn Forbes who are good in their own ways if forced into action. I haven't even talked about our swing forwards Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince.

I know we're Minnesota and we're accustomed to things going wrong. And I know the West is a behemoth this year. But at this point, 50 wins might be a letdown honestly, as crazy as that just was to type out.

Klomp wrote:Bringing a discussion over to here, because I want to expound on something I wrote...

Klomp wrote:

Dewey wrote::( I’m just gonna say it … I have vibes of an injury plagued season for puppies.

I have predicted 50-55 wins, and maybe we are still gonna be able to weather the storms and still achieve that win range.

I’m done now and won’t bring it up again.

There will be injuries. What matters how you fill in for them. When you have depth pieces like Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince and Jaylen Nowell, that's a huge luxury that not many teams have.

It's pretty incredible what a luxury we have with our roster at the moment. We have two sets of dynamic duos that on their own are great building blocks for an offense. A lot of teams don't even have one duo like this.

On top of this, I want to talk about the luxury of our depth. Not just in general, but specifically our guard depth. The NBA today is a guard's game. Especially guys who can just go get buckets at any time. And while our centers are the central focus of the team (for good reason), where the roster construction is really going to stand out is the guard play. Anthony Edwards, D'Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowell....few teams have even two scoring guards that good. Our third-best was casually dropping lefty floaters last night. If one goes down, there's no reason to panic. I'm not even to other role players like Jordan McLaughlin, Austin Rivers or Bryn Forbes who are good in their own ways if forced into action. I haven't even talked about our swing forwards Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince.

I know we're Minnesota and we're accustomed to things going wrong. And I know the West is a behemoth this year. But at this point, 50 wins might be a letdown honestly, as crazy as that just was to type out.

I agree with all of this but want to add, KAT and KA basically can play guard as well. KAT drove more than any other C last year, and KA has been showing off his handle and ball skills so far this preseason. The versatility gives an offensive minded coach SOOO many options. We just happen to have Chris Finch, who might be the best in the world at crafting plays and schemes to his players strengths. 55 wins might be a letdown at this point.

winforlose wrote:

Klomp wrote:I know we're Minnesota and we're accustomed to things going wrong. And I know the West is a behemoth this year. But at this point, 50 wins might be a letdown honestly, as crazy as that just was to type out.

55 wins might be a letdown at this point.

The other thing to look at is how hard a number of teams may be tanking by January/February because of Wembanyama. It may even allow us to pick up cheap talent near the deadline, whether in trade or buyout.

Klomp wrote:

winforlose wrote:

Klomp wrote:I know we're Minnesota and we're accustomed to things going wrong. And I know the West is a behemoth this year. But at this point, 50 wins might be a letdown honestly, as crazy as that just was to type out.

55 wins might be a letdown at this point.

The other thing to look at is how hard a number of teams may be tanking by January/February because of Wembanyama. It may even allow us to pick up cheap talent near the deadline, whether in trade or buyout.

Gonna be very interesting to see what top talent is offered to the team with the #1 pick after the lottery. VW seems to be the most hyped player since Lebron, and apparently might be even better.

Back to your point, I think the buyout market will be our friend this year. I also think we could be a serious offseason player next year. Maybe we get some vet minimums we never could have and grab someone with the tax payer MLE who takes a paycut to win a ring. It is an interesting time to be a wolves fan.