A Slow Start for the Timberwolves…
After a demoralizing loss the Timberwolves limped into the November 8th Election Day break with many questions left unanswered. Sitting with a 5-6 record through the first 11 games many fans are wondering what is causing this slow start, especially since the expectations were set so high after the positive off-season this front office had. The DLo-Ant-Jaden-Kat-Rudy starting group has played the 3rd most minutes of any 5-man group in the league. Everyone watching has seen the awkwardness from this lineup but the only way to make them gel together is for them to play as much as possible. If we’re going to point fingers let’s first look at the team as a whole. Of all 5-man lineups that have played at least 50 minutes on the court together, which is 37 lineups, our starters have the 4th worst Offensive rating and only the 16th best offensive rebounding percentage. Cleanly stated, we aren’t scoring efficiently and nor are we getting offensive rebounds. This is the first big difference from last year's team, which excelled on offense and especially the offensive glass. Speaking of the 2021-22 roster, a fan favorite season that Minnesota fell in love with, that squad did one thing well and that’s shooting. Wolves last season shot and made the most 3-pointers in the league but this year they are only 10th in attempts and 19th in makes. This leaves the 3-point shooting percentage at a miserable 32.5% (26th in the NBA). Look at the entire team and you’ll see everyone in a shooting slump, except the marksman Taurean Prince. D’Angelo Russell can’t buy a bucket, currently at 29.7% from deep. Jaden McDaniels isn’t much higher with his 30.8%, and we all loved watching Rudy Gobert attempt his first trey of the season. At the end of the day, teams that can shoot will destroy teams that cannot. Shooting percentages experience crests and troughs all season long, so it’s safe to assume that we are just on the bottom end of a wave that will tick upwards soon. If there is a reason to worry, it’s because the starters simply aren’t passing the eye test. In comparison to the bench, which has the 5th best Net Rating of all 30 teams, the starting five is the 6th worst in that category. It’s a great thing when the bench is performing well, but it’s a bad thing when our starters are not. By losing Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley this team has lost a step when it comes to confidence, hustle and effort. Is this a lack of chemistry issue? Are there locker room troubles? All we can see is that last year's team gave a shit, and as of 11 games, this team has not. At least, Anthony Edwards is recognizing this problem, and hopefully this means it can be fixed. I don’t think it’s time to give up on the season, nor give up on the Rudy Gobert trade. The team we loved watching last year started 4-9 to begin the season, and although our current goals are slated higher it doesn’t mean a slow start hinders those expectations. I always say you’d rather lose in the beginning of the year rather than in the end, anyways it's a long season and we’ve only just begun.
