SAN ANTONIO — The 2018-19 Minnesota Timberwolves are the arc of one’s senior year in high school. Stick with the metaphor here. Remember those nine months of life when you were told everything in life was about to change? But then once the year started you realized that nine months is actually a really long time and that you are still just hanging out with the same people you did as a junior.
Yeah, the Timberwolves season opener was the first day of senior year. With principal Thibodeau still barking the same orders, everything was the same as junior year only everyone is a year older. Again, it was Jeff Teague maestro-ing the offense; Andrew Wiggins searching for gold 18 feet from the hoop; Jimmy Butler asserting his will; Taj Gibson following orders; and Karl-Anthony Towns left alone on the block. Same old. Deja vu all over again.
“It’s a lot of the same guys,” said Andrew Wiggins in the relatively jovial visitor’s locker room at AT&T Center after the 112-108 loss. “Especially the starting five. It’s the same starting five as last year. So, it feels the same this year.”
What a turn of events. Who could have predicted that nearly a month to the day after Jimmy Butler very loudly requested a trade that the Wolves would be back to business as usual?
From a pure basketball standpoint, business as usual isn’t a bad thing. The Wolves were competitive throughout the game and had their chances down the stretch. And they did so without one of their star players. Not Butler, he played 32 minutes. They were forced to play much of the game without Towns, who picked up numerous offensive fouls on his way to fouling out after just 22 minutes of action. Towns only took six field goal attempts during the game, his lowest shot total since the 16th game of his rookie season.
After the game, Towns decided to meet the questions about his foul trouble with jokes.
“No, I was very excited. Very happy, very happy,” Towns said after the game in an effort to paint over the dismal effort with jokes. “Just to see all the weight lifting I was doing has been coming to fruition. Just to see all those bicep curls coming into effect was great. Just a lot of push-ups, lotta pull-ups.”
While Towns coming up short was not par for the course from a season ago, it was shocking how easy you could have confused the Wolves 2018-19 locker room with the group from a year ago. There were, however, some differences. Let’s dig into some of those departures from our understanding.
New Kids On The Block
Derrick Rose, The New Jamal Crawford
With Towns having fouled out in the fourth quarter, Thibodeau showed his hand of who truly falls sixth in his pecking order. To the surprise of few, this was Derrick Rose. For the final minutes of the game, the Wolves’ closing lineup was the starters sans Towns and Rose in his place — sliding everyone up a position.
Gorgui Dieng Shines But Sits To Close
A reason it was curious that Rose closed the game was that Gorgui Dieng was having the best game of any Wolves bench player. In an extended role due to Towns’ foul trouble, Dieng had been filling in admirably. Dieng finished with 12 points and five boards giving the team a much-needed spark, but he did not finish the game.
Towns was not surprised by Dieng’s performance. “Gorgui can come in and start on any basketball team,” said Towns. “He’s that kind of player, he’s that kind of character. Unfortunately, I garnered some fouls, but Gorgui was able to come in and do just as well, if not even better. Gorgui played a hell of a game.”
The Rookies Didn’t Play
This, of course, was not a departure from 2017-18 norms, but it was a shift from preseason. During Butler’s absence, Josh Okogie had been granted a big role — even starting two games. Yet in San Antonio, Okogie nor Keita Bates-Diop received any game action.
It will be interesting to see how much San Antonio’s size had to do with much of the rotation and notably how playing a different opponent will affect how the smaller Okogie fits into the mix. Prior to the game, Thibodeau said that the rotation will “usually be nine.”
Potential Inability For Growth
The Wolves also opened the season a year ago in San Antonio. It was Butler’s first game with the team and it was a loss. But that loss felt OK. It was only the beginning, and there was logic in the notion that this team was going to grow… together.
Not anymore. This team may naturally gel and everyone — namely Butler — will get in better game shape, but there will be a glass ceiling to this team’s potential so long as Butler is here. If the Wolves start the season hot they will be one of the first teams ever to exceed expectations while their leader consistently pushes the narrative of not wanting to be there.
It’s clear in the locker room that Butler is cool with his guys, but the same cliques from last season still exist. They are just as prevalent as a high school lunchroom.
“You mentioned there are 81 games left in the season,” Butler was asked after the game. “Do you have 81 games with this team?”
Butler’s response: “You got 81 games, baby. That’s all that matters. We got to lock in on today. What tomorrow brings, see where we’re at. If that comes to be, that comes to be. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Become a Zone Coverage Member Today!
