Timberwolves

Timberwolves By Position: Wings

This is the second edition in a three-part series that breaks down the Timberwolves position by position. However, this is not a conventional breakdown, as we’ll hit three major categories: Ball handlers, wings and big men.

The wings are lumped together for a simple reason: In today’s NBA, the shooting guard and small forward positions hardly exist. Matchups and offensive skill sets dictate who is playing where on the floor, and the Wolves are a perfect example. We’ll look at how Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins will be utilized together, as well as how they’ll fit in with the rest of the team.

With that in mind, here are the wings:

Shooting Guards:  Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Crawford, Marcus Georges-Hunt

Small Forwards: Jimmy Butler, Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Brown

This may be the best starting wing combination in the league, with Wiggins and Butler both coming into the season with legitimate All-Star pedigree.

Butler is a defensive star, taking the best offensive player on the other squad over the last four years. He does this by playing tight, using his length to blanket bigger opponents like LeBron James, while using his speed against quick players like John Wall. He also is a great spot-up shooter, and can hit from everywhere on the court, with a 43.3 percent shot off the catch and shoot. He’s hot off a season where he averaged 23.9 points per game, and finished on the All-NBA Third Team.

Wiggins is another offensive stud who averaged 23.6 and can create his own shot or the catch and shoot, shooting 44.9 percent. While his defense needs some polish, Wiggins will benefit from Butler taking the main option on opposing teams.

Those two will be the bulk of the team’s offense and defense, representing a good chunk of points for the team each game, and likely finishing in the top 10 in minutes played. The league is moving to the dynamic players that can play as two way swing men and both these players fall into the spot nicely.

Backing the pair is Jamal Crawford, the 17-year veteran with a great jumper and better crossover. After leaving Los Angeles – where he averaged 12.3 points per game – JCrossover is coming to Minnesota, adding scoring depth on the bench for the Timberwolves. His shooting is inefficient as ever, holding an effective shooting percentage of 47.9 last season – Muhammad’s was 52.3 percent last season for comparison – but the extra punch off the bench should help take the load off Muhammad and the rest of the second unit.

Behind him is Marcus Georges-Hunt, another stash-and-develop player. Georges-Hunt averaged 2.8 points and 9.6 minutes per game with Orlando and should be another depth piece for the Timberwolves.

The late re-addition of Shabazz Muhammad is big for the Timberwolves, considering how thin they already are at the position. While Bazz needs to work on playing as part of an entire offensive scheme, he is a nice piece to have to the bench. He can get points in bunches, is a streaky three point shooter, and can bang on the offensive glass and cause second chance opportunities. He brings positives to the bench, and that can’t be overlooked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dmgqDzBfA

Of course, the offseason is highlighted by Jimmy Butler more than anyone else. Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau brought in his Chicago pupil to add another star, guide Wiggins to a better defensive future, and change the offensive efficiency.

Along with superior defense and consistent offense Butler also brings a clutch factor to the end of games for the Timberwolves. In the last five minutes of games, Butler shoots 44.9 percent in the last five minutes of games and 47.1 in the last minute. He also averages 40 percent from three in the final three minutes of games. Butler has no problem playing isolation basketball and carrying the weight of the final shot with the game on the line.

With Butler’s ability to lead the team in scoring and not have to handle the ball, he can play with Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Jeff Teague without hurting production. This team is going to fit really well together and their production will be fun to watch compete in a stacked Western Conference.

The final piece is Anthony Brown, who is coming after a year with New Orleans and Orlando. He has played in 40 games in two years and has had 11 starts. He is a bench piece to add depth. He’s the first Timberwolves product of the NBA’s new two-way system, suggesting he’ll spend a lot of time in the NBA’s G League to start the year.

Overall – The wing is the strength of this team, both in the starters with Wiggins and Butler, along with the bench in Crawford and Muhammad. The versatility on both sides of the ball for Wiggins and Butler is what makes this team special and will win them a lot of games because of the matchup problems this creates.

Grade: A

For the article on ball handlers, go here.


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