Any rational person would expect the Minnesota Timberwolves to need time to gel after overhauling their roster in the offseason. However, Minnesota currently is 12-12 a quarter of the way through the season. Their record may be the definition of mediocre, but their play has been a bar below that.
Tim Connelly took a huge gamble when trading for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Fans are quick to start pointing fingers at specific personnel after Minnesota’s early-season struggles. We all have the right to be upset right now with the performance of the team. However, patience is key with this struggling ball club.
“We didn’t have expectations it was initially going to hit the ground running. We kind of expected a lot of growing pains there,” Connelly told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “So I think, individually, Rudy’s been fantastic. When we’re fully healthy, we’ve got to figure out how to most effectively employ all those guys. It’s a win-loss league. It would be an emphatic positive if we had three or four more wins right now.”
Gobert’s number’s may be down across the board. However, he has done exactly what he was brought here to do – defend and rebound. Gobert is averaging 13.3 points and 11.9 rebounds on 64% from the floor and 72% from the foul stripe.
Gobert’s numbers are respectable. However, he hadn’t had that staple performance in a Wolves uniform until Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. Gobert finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds against Indiana – including a game-saving block.
It’s evident that Gobert is still trying to find his footing with the Wolves. After spending his first nine years with the Utah Jazz, that’s more than understandable. He’s also playing alongside an All-NBA big man for the first time.
“I think they really enjoy playing with each other. I think they’re very unique,” Connelly said. “There are some nights where it’s going to be a tough matchup on us and some nights where we’re going to be a tough matchup. How do we alleviate those tough matchups and put those guys in position to be as effective as possible? That’s what we’re working through right now.”
Running two rather clunky big men on the floor at one time is bound to spark some defensive miscues. Gobert is averaging only 1.3 blocks per game, his lowest since his rookie year; Towns has had trouble keeping up with faster forwards from beyond the arc.
On the offensive side of the ball, though, they seem to play off each other well. KAT is averaging 5.3 dimes per game, a career-high. Towns has been able to find Gobert off the short roll effectively.
Minnesota’s offense has been clustered as everyone learns how to deal with two 7-footers in the lineup. Anthony Edwards is chief among them. However, with Towns going down indefinitely due to a strained right calf, Minnesota’s offense has looked much more cohesive than before.
“We’re not going to bury our head in the sand and pretend it’s been flawless,” Connelly said regarding Towns and Gobert’s fit. “We never expected that. When we made the trade, it wasn’t done without a lot of conversation, a lot of watching of tape.”
The fit between Towns, Gobert, and the entire Wolves lineup will come with time; they are way too talented to play like this forever. However, that will only occur if the Wolves truly want it to. It’s going to require a lot of effort.
“If this team doesn’t perform on a big enough level, the responsibility falls solely on me. It’s not these guys,” said Connelly. “It’s my responsibility under my role to make sure we put a good team out there. But in that chase to put a good team out there, these are really good guys. We have really good guys and women in this building. It’s been really fun to get to know them and to start to feel like it is home and start to understand what makes these guys tick.”
It’s very easy to point figures at front office personnel and coaches. However, I believe this team will come together soon. It may be easy to give Connelly all the heat right now, but put yourself in his shoes. You come to a team that’s been your rival for years on a lustrous deal with the knowledge that the current roster had reached its full potential. You can acquire the greatest rebounder and defender (your new team’s biggest flaws) walking the globe in your first offseason with the team – putting your stamp on the roster.
Would you have made the move? I’d be willing to bet the answer is yes.
So, in turn, pinning the Wolves’ early season on Connelly is a rash decision. Things like this take time, have the Wolves taken more time than we’ve expected? Yes. However, things will start to trend upward in due time.
