The Minnesota Timberwolves have had to work around injuries lately. Injuries have affected players from the top and the bottom of the roster, including some in crucial roles.
- Karl-Anthony Towns is arguably the best offensive option on this team. He offers dynamic shooting and driving on the offensive end and more rebounding help.
- Kyle Anderson has offered ample on-ball defense. He has worked exceptionally well as a connector offensively, finding others while being a valuable low-usage option.
- Jordan McLaughlin plays smart basketball and sets others up for success while making limited mistakes.
- Taurean Prince is one of the best shooters on the team, shooting 38.9% while offering more defense on the perimeter.
It is easy to become disenchanted while the team works through these issues. However, good teams find a way to make the best of their situation by giving more usage to stars and more opportunities for reserves. It can only strengthen teams and give them more options when fully healthy for the rest of the season.
The Boston Celtics can be an excellent example of success this season. While they are still a phenomenal basketball team coming off a finals appearance, they only recently got back one of their most vital players in Robert Williams. The Celtics have operated around many different lineups and rotations with their bigs in Williams’ absence.
Their primary solve has been sliding Al Horford to the 5, but there have even been load management and injuries that have held him out for games. With Horford out, they usually moved Grant Williams into the starting lineup, played small, and expected the bench players to step up. Luke Kornet has been the unsung reserve for them. Kornet has bounced around the league and is now on his fifth team, but he has been able to do enough to fill in the gaps and let other stars shine.
The Celtics’ shorthanded success also highlights how improved their stars are. Jayson Tatum is playing at an MVP level, which shows his value when he truly acclimates himself into a larger overall role. Boston’s recent run offers perspective on where the Wolves are at. More options, such as better shooters and scoring options, only open up more for the top tier to success. It all comes down to the depth behind when you want sustainable regular season success. The Celtics are the cream of the crop, but the formula for success and team build is still present, not just strict reliance upon Tatum.
The Milwaukee Bucks had a similar situation without Khris Middleton and a shaky bench rotation. They continuously rotated through multiple guards and wings until they finally found a way to play more into their defense while sacrificing some offense.
They realized that they would not gain back everything they lost in Middleton. However, they relied on Jevon Carter to fill in. Carter is another player who has also bounced around the league, finally finding a home. He offers good on-ball defense and screen navigation while being able to shoot the three on the other end of the floor. Among the team’s stars, Brook Lopez has stepped up the most. He has been one of the best drop coverage rim protectors this season, shooting 51.1% from the field and 40.1% from three.
You can begin to see more of a blueprint and find more team fits for success rather than the overt talent when you need to fill the small holes in a roster.
The Wolves have been most successful in this stint without their core players when their scoring guards, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards, are driving winning. Russell and Edwards have filled the usage void in most of the games that Minnesota has been competitive in. But when one of them struggles, things begin to fall apart.
But Russell and Edwards haven’t driven winning on their own. To sustain winning, the Wolves have needed their role players to be consistent to cover for bench players who are getting playing time.
Many players, including Austin Rivers, Bryn Forbes, Jaylen Nowell, and Naz Reid, have needed to step into the new roles. The Wolves have gotten mixed results, though. Rivers and Naz have stepped up their play meaningfully, providing scoring sparks and solid minutes. However, Forbes continues to struggle and doesn’t offer much when he can’t make a shot. Nowell is in a slump. Could this just be a usual scoring slump for his archetype of a spark plug bench scorer? Or is this a sign of him regressing now that we have a larger sample size?
Minnesota’s core of Gobert, Ant, and DLo has been shaky. Therefore, they need someone to consistently step into the forefront and work together to hold things up. Gobert has such a limited offensive game and will not change games without help. Not to mention, he hasn’t been a great rim protector this year. Ant has been the most impressive of the trio. He has been assertive in scoring the ball, but he’s also turning the ball over frequently. DLo has been a dynamic scorer early in this stretch. However, when opponents limit him to just being a playmaker, and his shot is not falling, Russell cannot drive winning.
Why haven’t the Wolves been winning recently? The stars and bench players haven’t found consistency in their new roles. They’re not providing the spark Minnesota needs. It’s why the Wolves are hovering around .500 and lose a lot of games they should win. The clock continues to tick on how much time this team has to figure out their shortcomings; if the Wolves cannot figure their way around simple adversity, they will struggle when it matters more down the stretch of the season.
