Heading into this season, D’Angelo Russell had the most to learn about his new-look Minnesota Timberwolves squad. Being the primary ball handler and facilitator, DLo has been required to understand not only his individual role but also everyone else’s around him. That’s easier said than done, though. Russell has had excellent court awareness throughout his 7-year career. But entering this season with a newly-constructed Wolves roster wasn’t easy on DLo.
Offensive consistency has plagued Russell since he was drafted back in 2015. Through Minnesota’s first 10 games, DLo averaged a mere 13.4 points on only 38.3% from the floor and 27.8% from three. We’ve all seen Russell’s ability to take over games and look like one of the better scorers in the league. However, putting up consistent numbers on decent shot percentages has not been easy for him.
Despite his slow start, Russell has looked incredible since Karl-Anthony Towns went down three weeks ago. DLo averaged 24.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds on 54.5% from the floor and 44.7% from deep through the first six games without KAT.
“We’ve got a talented group,” said Russell after his 30-point outburst against the Utah Jazz. “Forces teams to overhelp sometimes, and if we’re willing to make that pass, there’s a lot of opportunity out there. Coach is continuing to harp on trusting each other, and trust the pass, and trust the system. It could be anybody’s night, and it was just mine tonight, just trusting the system.”
DLo has been making the offense flow so far this season, something he’s had to work on over the years. However, Russell went down a week ago after colliding with Josh Hart – and Minnesota’s offense has looked in disarray.
Following back-to-back tough losses against the Portland Trailblazers, the Wolves were looking to snatch a comeback win on the road over a solid Los Angeles Clippers squad. However, Minnesota was very banged up.
The talent gap prevailed at the end as the Wolves fell 99-88 in one of the worst offensive showings I’ve seen from two NBA teams. Minnesota shot 4 of 22 (18.2%) from deep, while Los Angeles connected on 14 of their 46 triples (30.4%).
Heading into the game, Chris Finch said he wanted the ball to be in Anthony Edwards’s hands for most of the night with Russell being out. It was obvious that Ant just didn’t look comfortable being Minnesota’s “PG-1,” though. He finished with 19 points on only 6 of 14 from the floor with a game-high five turnovers.
“That’s the league these days, there’s always a lot of guys out, and of course, we miss all of ‘em,” Finch said after the game. “I was really pleased with the way we guarded out there, great defense. … We just couldn’t make a bucket. That’s basically what it was, when we had open shots, we just couldn’t get them to go in, and then things dried up for us there in the fourth.”
The ball was sticky against the Clips, which haunted Finch and the Timberwolves earlier this season. Without Russell, the Wolves lost their most consistent scorer recently and their floor general. Minnesota coughed it up 17 times in L.A., and that’s not going to get it done against great teams in this league.
The starters tried their best to fill in for DLo, especially Ant. However, most of Edwards’ five turnovers were when he was attempting to find Gobert above the rim – something Russell is pretty adept at. Gobert and Ant’s chemistry has been a work in progress. Still, Edwards will need to be able to find Gobert consistently and more often if they hope to unlock each other’s games.
Adding insult to injury, after rolling his ankle against the Clippers, the Wolves ruled Gobert out against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC was 2.5 favorites to beat a depleted Timberwolves team. However, thanks to Austin Rivers’ career night, Naz Reid’s 28-point eruption, and Ant’s all-around game, Minnesota beat the Thunder, 112-110. They did so by playing within themselves, turning a young OKC team over, and hitting open shots.
The Wolves may have fended off a rebuilding team when adversity sets in. However, if they hope to get back on track this season, they’ll need DLo to stay healthy and prove to Tim Connelly that he needs to re-sign him.
After missing two straight, Russell returned to the lineup Sunday evening. From the onset, Minnesota’s offense obviously operates much better with Russell in the lineup. DLo finished with 28 points and eight assists on 7-for-10 from deep – including an incredible triple from the brand new Timberwolves logo.
Russell also had his pick-and-roll chemistry on point with Nathan Knight, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 from the floor.
“A little bit of talkin’, a little bit of film, just really gettin’ to know these guys on and off the court,” said Nate on his chemistry with DLo and Ant. “This is our lives, so when we’re not on the court — off the court, we’re speaking basketball, we’re talking where we like to get the ball, how we like to set each other up to be successful. Ant and DLo have been super transparent with me [and] everybody on the team, [with] how we can help them and how they can help us as well.”
The Wolves hung 150 points on the Chicago Bulls in their second straight win, setting a franchise record for most points in a single game. DLo’s hot start led to Ant taking over in the second half as he finished with 37 points (19 of which came in the third), a career-high 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
There has been a lot of chatter on social media regarding Russell’s future with the Wolves. Some want him to remain in Minnesota, while others would love to see him on the next flight out of MSP. Regardless of your personal view, there’s no denying it – DLo elevates the Wolves on both sides of the ball. If Russell can stay healthy and be the free-flowing player the Timberwolves need from him, there’s no doubt that DLo should, and will be, in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
