Now is a time of eternal hope for NBA fans. The moments leading up to the regular season are the moments where it seems like anything is possible for your favorite club. It’s a time Timberwolves fans know to cherish as they are conditioned to expect that hope will soon be dashed. But, we’re not there yet. We are still in a place of maybes.
The starting five looked good in their opening preseason opportunity and Anthony Edwards looks like a defensive play making monster. Anything‘s possible! KAT for MVP? Maybe. KAT and ANT develop into the leagues best duo? Possibly. DLO takes a huge step forward and wins most improved player? Who knows!
Although most of these hopes are likely to be let down, the D’Angelo Russell one might be the most realistic, especially if you listen to Patrick Beverley. When asked about his new back court mate Beverley responded:
When it became official and I came over, of course obviously I looked at the roster and one of the first things I said was I put D-Lo with the same skill set, don’t take my word and twist them around, but the same skill set as the James Harden types. The Kyrie Irving types. A player that is God-gifted skill wise, can pass the ball, can shoot, can get to the free-throw line. A three-level scorer that can score in the post if he needs to, pass out of the post. I just challenge him. You have the skill set. What makes you different than any one of those type of players? So I challenge you every day, don’t miss the small things, don’t miss the small hurdles. Go out there and be great. He’s been responding every day in practices and it’s not a surprise he played well yesterday.
I hate to tell you this Patrick, but when you compare someone to James Harden and Kyrie Irving people are going to twist your words around. But, as a fan, Beverley’s confidence in one of the Timberwolves most polarizing players is a welcome sight. Beverly has been one of the premier perimeter defenders in this league for a long time now and if this is how he thinks of Russell there must be something to it.
Time will tell if Beverley’s strong words bear any fruit in this crucial season for the franchise, but right now it’s just fun to sit back and imagine they will.
