As we now approach the conclusion of the first month of this NBA season, it’s safe to say that the state of the Minnesota Timberwolves is not exactly what many fans had hoped for. However, it’s not just that the Wolves have lost multiple close games or have at times played a sloppy and inefficient brand of basketball. The Wolves have looked uninspired and lackadaisical, leaving many to question if and when the heart of this team will begin to show – if it ever will.
Shortly after Minnesota’s loss to Tom Thibodeau’s New York Knicks on Monday night, Anthony Edwards expressed his frustrations about how the team has played so far.
“We just play soft man, man,” he said. “Like every bump, we flying all over the place, including myself. Teams just coming in like, ‘We’re going to take their heart,’ and that’s what’s going on. We’re down 20 every game! We’ve got to figure it out.”
While not exactly encouraging words for the team coming from Minnesota’s young star, it is a fair criticism at this point based on how the team has looked in many of their games.
When the Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert this past offseason, it created a ton of excitement. It wasn’t just because they had acquired this all-NBA and league-renowned center. It was because many believed that it could be the move that would turn a young playoff team from last season into a contender.
But what did it mean when the team traded away two of their scrappiest and hard-nosed players from last year’s playoff team, Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt?
Coincidentally, the Wolves held a 4-9 record at roughly this part of the season last year. Last season, Pat Bev’s loud and motivating words helped propel the Wolves to win eight of their next nine games and ultimately make the first round of the playoffs.
Beverly not only served as a vocal leader on and off the court for this team, but as a three-time all-defensive player and one of the league’s best hustle players, he served a crucial role for the Wolves, helping them be anything but soft.
Beverley menaced ball-handlers for 94’, drew charges, got into players’ faces, and drew technical fouls. He played a role in making last year’s Wolves team a gritty one that played hard and carried a chip on its shoulder.
Vanderbilt? He was the epitome of a hard-working and relentless player for the Wolves last season. Vando developed a reputation in the league as one of the best at ‘crashing the boards.’ He averaged 12 rebounds per game per 36 minutes last year. And that only covers one area of how he generated tenacity for Minnesota last year.
Vando was also one of the league’s best in pass deflections, averaging 3.9 deflections per game per 36 minutes. He also averaged 1.3 loose balls recovered per game per 36 minutes. He was also one of the league’s best in terms of hustle stats, which was evident in how he played with reckless abandon, making him a fan favorite for many Wolves fans last season.
Now that they’re gone, it is fairly apparent how much this Wolves team misses the hard-nosed style of play and edge that Pat Bev and Vando provided for this team. While it’s not certain that the Timberwolves would have a much better record at this point in the season if these two were still in a Wolves uniform. However, there’s a good chance that the team would at least not look as “soft,” to use Ant’s words, and would play with overall some more chippiness in some of these games.
Beverly and Vando won’t be walking through that door to save Minnesota’s season. It is up to the current team to figure out a way to play harder and bring some of the energy and tenacity they had last year.
It starts with Ant.
While Ant, 21, is still a young player, he is in his third season. Many expected him to take a big leap to help lead this team to serious contention this season. However, through his allegedly poor diet, lack of explosiveness at the rim, and non-apparent vocal command of this team, it seems like Ant has not quite taken it upon himself to become a leader on this team. He doesn’t seem to replace what Beverly and Vanderbilt offered last year.
Ant needs to take hold of this team, especially while the season is still salvageable. He needs to inspire the rest of the squad, vocally and with his play, to change this soft team identity.
To a lesser extent, Chris Finch and Karl-Anthony Towns also need to be a part of the solution. Finch and KAT should both take a sense of accountability for the poor performance that the team has shown so far. Finch is the head coach, and KAT is one of the longer-tenured players on the team. They should demand more from the rest of the roster in their effort on the court.
Towns also needs to lead by example on the floor. He has to play with 100% effort, and while not his strong suit, focus closely on the defensive end. That could likely inspire the troops not to let teams establish big leads on them in games.
The Wolves still have time to turn things around, but it will take their best players and coaching staff to take action and begin to push this team to play with a Beverley-like chip on their shoulder. They need to take pride in being a hardworking team again, one that consistently pushes their opponents to their limits.
