5 Thoughts on the Wolves’ Wild Sunday Night

Sarah Stier | Credit: AP

Prior to all of the postgame craziness regarding the whirlwind of Towns pledging his allegiance to the franchise, Ryan Saunders being fired, and Chris Finch getting hired, there was a basketball game! The Wolves made a rousing comeback only to lose again because of poor late game execution. We have some thoughts on a seemingly normal Sunday evening that gave way to a wild night.

1. We caught our first glimpse of the season of “Superstar KAT” in the 4th quarter. Karl-Anthony checked out of the game early in the 3rd quarter after picking up his 4th foul and a technical foul in a poor sequence of events. The Wolves were already losing, and the absence of Towns for an extended stretch seemed like it would spell doom for Minnesota. Towns did not return until the start of the 4th quarter with the Wolves down 16 points. It was then that he decided to takeover the game in a way that Wolves fans have not seen in a long time. Towns asserted his will offensively and defensively, making it known that he was the best player on the court. In such a horrid season for the Wolves, it seemed like Towns was exerting all of his frustration on the Knicks on his way to 15 4th quarter points. As a fan, seeing THIS player was refreshing. We now know that it is still in him to takeover a game, and we look forward to seeing him do it more often in the future.
2. When the opposing team provides resistance in the paint, the Wolves struggle to score from 2pt. range. Minnesota made 16 3pt. shots against the Knicks, shooting 45% and still managed to score under 100 points. I would bet that feat has not been achieved very often in the NBA. The Wolves shot 17–47 inside the 3pt. line, with 6 of those 17 makes coming from Karl-Anthony Towns. That is a ghastly performance from inside the arc. Granted, the Knicks game plan defensively is too pack the paint and force the offense into jump shots from the perimeter, but they do not exactly have a defensive player of the year caliber defender on the roster. It should not have been so hard to penetrate into the lane and find a relatively decent look, but alas the Timberwolves made it look difficult. They will not win many games without a vast improvement in 2pt. efficiency.
3. Good luck to Ryan Saunders. As so many other Wolves writers and fans noted, Ryan is a solid human being who was easy to root for. We all wanted infinite success for him here in Minnesota. Unfortunately it just was not going to work. This roster was never going to be an above average team, but it should probably not be far and away the worst team in the league. Much of that failure to win falls on Saunders. There were too many late game breakdowns and it was easy to see that he was being out-coached on a consistent basis. As a credit to him, he showed an ability to develop young players (he was known as a player development expert even prior to coaching the Wolves) in his time here, and he absolutely should be a highly sought after assistant if he chooses to stay in NBA coaching. Best of luck to Ryan!
4. How is this going to work with the new guy? From an X’s and O’s standpoint, it sounds like Chris Finch is bringing a wealth of offensive knowledge and creativity. He is almost unanimously regarded as a very smart coach who has gotten the most out of his players at every level. Wolves fans can expect to see more crisp offensive plays with the intention of maximizing their best offensive players. That is all good news! The bigger question will be generally how it works from a logistical standpoint. Is he just going to coach the team in the game against Milwaukee a mere 36 hours after he was officially hired? Will the current coaches on staff find it awkward to suddenly be reporting to a brand new coach who was hired instead of one of them? I am sure Finch has done his homework on the Wolves roster, but he does not REALLY know the players yet. Will he have complete control over the rotations? This is unprecedented territory for most of us, and I am very interested to see how it all works.
5. With the changing of the guard at head coach, most of the roster should be on notice. Gersson Rosas is the man in charge, and it is doubtful that he will be removed anytime soon. With the coaching change complete, the players are now on the hot seat with a few exceptions. Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and possibly Jaden McDaniels are all exempt from losing their playing time and will be guaranteed a spot on the roster next season. Everyone else is likely playing for their jobs. I do not believe Rosas will just waive or cut players that do not perform, but he has no problem turning over the roster and if guys are not fitting in well, they are likely to be dealt. Even players such as Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell will need to prove that they are a long-term fit in Finch’s system and alongside Karl and Ant. It will be very interesting to see which players are able to raise their game under this pressure and which players falter.

-Jerry W.