Minnesota Timberwolves Breakdown: Wolves Need Talent Upgrade

[Erick Blasco]

Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 103-99 victory over the New Jersey Nets, the young Wolves are a team playing for the future and not the present.

 

They struggle to run the triangle, employing some of the preliminary speed cuts after throwing the ball in the post, and using the two-man game on the weak-side of the triangle to post Al Jefferson. Still, the roster is more conducive to drive-and-kick basketball as opposed to the jump shooting necessary to run the triangle.

 

Because of this, it will be interesting to see how coach Kurt Rambis responds to his team’s skill set. Will he tweak the triangle to allow more screen/roll and isolation action, or will he stay tried and true to geometric principles.

 

No matter how much the T-Wolves struggle, Rambis will remain on board for another year as his team adjusts to the nuances of his offense.

 

Let’s see which other Timberwolves have futures in Minnesota.

 

Al Jefferson is a bear in the pivot—13-23 FG, 1-2 FT, 7 REB, 3 BLK, 27 PTS. Because of Jefferson’s massive upper body, he creates all sorts of space for his feathery right hooks and duck under counters. He’s also expanded his game exponentially where he now has an extremely quick and reliable short jumper, a myriad of convincing ball and shot fakes, and expanded range on his jump shot. He even knocked down an 18-footer!

 

Jefferson isn’t an exceptional passer, but didn’t force passes into traffic and recognized where the open man was after being doubled—hence his four assists and no turnovers.

 

If AJ blocked three shots on defense, they were shots right at him that didn’t require much lateral movement or jumping. Jefferson did work hard on Brook Lopez and held him to 2-8 shooting, but Lopez’ own ball fakes vexed Jefferson and coaxed out the majority of his six fouls.

 

Still, there’s no doubt that Jefferson has an All-Star caliber offensive game. As he continues to improve his passing and learn the triangle, he could become a passable equivalent of Shaq when the Big Diesel played for the Lakers. Even defensively, Jefferson has made strides to the point where he’s now a passable defender.

 

Jefferson will be even more of a force when he plays with teammates that can create the spacing needed for AJ to work down low. With such a poor shooting team around him, defenses simply collapse on him and force his lesser teammates to hurt them from the outside.

 

In this case, it’s up to the T-Wolves players to improve their jump shots, or for management to surround Jefferson with a few more shooters.

Johnny Flynn used his creativity with the ball to dazzle—9-19 FG, 3-4 FT, 1-5 3FG, 5 AST, 3 TO, 4 STL, 22 PTS. Flynn’s lightning-quick, can drive with either hand, and is an acrobatic finisher under the basket. He consistently got into the paint and made the right decision in the shadow of the basket.

 

Flynn’s jump shot needs to be more dependable—1-5 3FG—and he needs to speed up his decision making. Many times, Flynn would dribble away instead of making passes that imitate the various defensive responses and offensive triggers that operate the triangle. Also, Flynn refused to give the ball up after a steal late in the game with a teammate well ahead of the pack and Devin Harris a half-step behind him. Instead of getting a layup, Flynn was fouled and missed a free throw that could’ve been costly. Flynn also forced several shots and drives.

 

Flynn’s defense relies totally on gambling, but he has quick hands and his steal of the careless Harris pass mentioned above was instrumental in Minnesota retaining their lead. Give Flynn time to speed up his decision making, to learn the triangle, and improve his jump shot. If he’s not a classical triangle point guard, he’s too talented to give up.

 

Kevin Love vacuums up rebounds—16 REB—has great hands, is an exceptional passer—4 AST, 2 TO—and is an accurate mid-range jump shooter. However, he’s a non-athlete and has trouble finishing around the basket because of it, missing four layups. It’ll be difficult for Minnesota to play effective defense with both Love and Jefferson in the front court because the team has no athleticism to provide weak side help.

 

The Wolves simply need good basketball players so Love’s a keeper for now, but as the team improves he may have to be dealt to shore up the weaknesses of having too landlocked players in the frontline.

 

Damien Wilkins cut well, knocked down his short and mid-range jumpers, and sank two free throws late that helped put away the Nets—5-11 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3-3 FT, 3 AST, 1 TO, 14 PTS—but lacks three-point range and isn’t a difference maker. He’d barely be a rotation player on most other teams, and doesn’t have any long term future in Minnesota.

 

Corey Brewer’s reputation as a defensive stopper is a fabrication. He’s totally mesmerized by the ball to the point where simple give-and-go’s leave him eating dust. His three turnovers in the game were a result of a sloppy handle and a high dribble that he hasn’t corrected since his college days at Florida. Brewer also lacks range on his jumper.

 

His effective numbers—7-11 FG, 17 PTS—were a result of athletic baseline cuts, an accurate short-range jumper, and a nifty lefty layup late in the game that effectively closed out the Nets. If Brewer has a future in Minny, it’ll be as an up-tempo sixth man off the bench.

 

Nathan Jawai is a ballerina shaped like a bowling ball—1-3 FG, 4 REB, 1 TO, 2 PTS. His offensive game is very crude, but he did show an ability to guard the post effectively. He’s an interesting long term project.

Wayne Ellington snaked along the baseline for offensive boards, finished at the paint, and was accurate from the midlands—3-6FG, 7 PTS. He’s also a keeper.

Sasha Pavlovic doesn’t want to be in Minnesota and played like it, jacking up two awful shots in three minutes—0-2 FG, 0 PTS. He’s an absolute goner.

Brian Cardinal picked up three fouls in just over a minute. He too is a goner.

Ryan Hollins made some clever passes—3 AST, 1 TO—and is the team’s only weak-side shot blocker. A keeper as a backup center.

Ramon Sessions is a drive-and-kick guard with nobody to kick it to—1-2 FG, 2 AST, 2 TO, 2 PTS. Without the driving lanes he saw in Milwaukee, Sessions has struggled creating for himself and others in Minnesota. He also makes fundamental mistakes, like jumping in the air to pass, and buying shot fakes on defense. No wonder only Minnesota offered him a contract as a restricted free agent last offseason.

 

Sessions needs to escape the triangle and play on a team with three-point shooters. However, unless Ricky Rubio migrates over to the United States, Sessions is Minnesota’s only backup point guard. Because of that, he’s a keeper, but only until Rubio comes over, if he comes over at all.

 

Overall, the Timberwolves need many things:

 

• Patience to learn the triangle
• Athletes in the frontcourt
• Three-point shooters at every position
• Wings who can create their own shot
• A defensive-minded backup point guard
• Antacids for Kurt Rambis

However, with Jefferson, Flynn, and maybe Love and Brewer, the Wolves have a respectable core going forward. Until the talent level around that core is upgraded though, the Wolves will be a bottom-feeder.

[Lone Wolf]

What do you think of the Wolves drafting Turner if they don't get the first pick? A lot of fans at RealGM want to draft Turner and possibly aim for Gay during the off-season... or Joe Johnson. Some think that Pekovic will come in, too.

[Erick Blasco]

What do you think of the Wolves drafting Turner if they don't get the first pick? A lot of fans at RealGM want to draft Turner and possibly aim for Gay during the off-season... or Joe Johnson. Some think that Pekovic will come in, too.

 

 

I have no idea who Turner or Pekovic are. I don't watch the college game at all. Gay would help immensely because he can get his own shot off from the perimeter, and JJ makes everyone better. If possible, they should sell out for Johnson.

[AtTheDriveIn]

Corey Brewer is unbearable to watch. It is painful to watch him try to create offense for himself or just to create in general. He is basically Shawn Marion minus the rebounding prowess that Marion has/had and about a million other small things that Marion could do which Brewer cannot. The triangle system that is being attempted just does not suit his off the ball, attacking the rim style that he likes. His play could do well in a team with an attacking uptempo style (GSW springs to mind); I think the only reason that Brewer is still an active part of the Timberwolf rotation is because the coaching staff is holding on to the last straw of potential that Brwwer may have.

 

If he should ever join a legtitimate contending team, it'll be as a deep reserve. Rodney Carney can barely make the league and he is no less a player than Brewer.

 

 

Good article.. and repped. Oh and happy christmas.

[Erick Blasco]

Corey Brewer is unbearable to watch. It is painful to watch him try to create offense for himself or just to create in general. He is basically Shawn Marion minus the rebounding prowess that Marion has/had and about a million other small things that Marion could do which Brewer cannot. The triangle system that is being attempted just does not suit his off the ball, attacking the rim style that he likes. His play could do well in a team with an attacking uptempo style (GSW springs to mind); I think the only reason that Brewer is still an active part of the Timberwolf rotation is because the coaching staff is holding on to the last straw of potential that Brwwer may have.

 

If he should ever join a legtitimate contending team, it'll be as a deep reserve. Rodney Carney can barely make the league and he is no less a player than Brewer.

 

 

Good article.. and repped. Oh and happy christmas.

 

Plus, Brewer's nowhere close to the defender Marion is, and you're right, the triangle is a horrible system for Brewer until he learns how to shoot. Golden State wouldn't be the answer though because he can't shoot. He does cut well which helps in the triangle, and he's an athletic finisher along the baseline. Plus with his wingspan and athleticism, there's a load of untapped potential there if they can redesign his defensive mechanics so he's more disciplined and gambles less. His potential to pick up steals is one of his strong points.

 

He's still young enough and shouldn't be written off with his natural gifts. And he's not a selfish showboat so he should be able to improve. He's more athletic than Carney and has more upside. Honestly, the reason why Brewer's a huge part of Minnesota...have you seen the rest of the Timberwolves wings?

[Lone Wolf]

I have no idea who Turner or Pekovic are. I don't watch the college game at all. Gay would help immensely because he can get his own shot off from the perimeter, and JJ makes everyone better. If possible, they should sell out for Johnson.

Ah.

 

 

As for the poor Brewer shooting. He tends to be inconsistent with his shooting, but he has been consistent as of late. The Wolves trying to be a fast paced team really helps out. I wouldn't be surprised if he came off the bench for a spark/defensive presence.

[Lone Wolf]

Brewer's jump shot seems to be much more consistent these past few weeks.

[Erick Blasco]

His midrange game isn't too bad, it's his range. He can't hit a jumper consistently outside of 20 feet.

[AtTheDriveIn]

^

 

Call me biased because I'm obviouly not the biggest fan of Brewer, but I just don't see him improving much on his game past where he already is with it. He's got a little Larry Hughes attitude to his game. He thinks he can hit shots because once upon a time he could (Hughes: Washington, Brewer: Florida). In reality though, neither of them really can but they're so fixated on previous limits that they believe within themselves that they're still the same shooters/creators they once were. Truth is, Brewer had easy shots from the outside with the Horford/Noah combination at Florida, along with poor rotational skill that a large majority of NCAA teams possess. The defense in the NBA is much bigger and tougher at defending the perimeter, even if the heart in NCAA ball is miles above NBA player's heart, and Brewer's game really doesn't translate that well as a shooter/creator.

[Newman]

I agree with the talent upgrade part. I might be being a bit harsh but besides Love, Jefferson and Flynn, all the other players in the T'Wolves squad cannot even make the grade of sixth man in other teams.

 

With a team like this a complicated plan such as a triangle cannot be conducted because the players are too inexperienced. Also, this works best with a PG who is a role player in the team [Fisher in the Lakers, Ron Harper/B.J Armstrong (B.J had a bit of talent during his time with the Bulls) in the Bulls] because the Triangle pretty much restricts how much freedom the PG has in directing the game. An example would be Jay Williams and the Bulls. A talented PG when he came into the league (I know he came from Duke but he still ain't no meatloaf), his first mission is to learn the Triangle. It's too much to learn for a rookie who had just came out of a university where the game is controlled in the point guard's hands. Flynn is a talented PG, but you can't see it when the Triangle is used.