Sunday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on to a win against the Houston Rockets. The game was closer than it should have been in the dying minutes, but nobody can truly blame the Wolves for sleepwalking through a relatively inconsequential game against the worst team in the NBA. With the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks’ most recent wins, that seventh seed position is all but locked up.
At least there are still reasons to tune into these last couple of games before the play-in tournament. Coaches and spectators will patiently wait for D’Angelo Russell to emerge from his slump completely. The last two games have been a good start for him, averaging 23 points and 6.5 assists in those matchups. A resurgent Malik Beasley has also been a joy to watch. This Timberwolves team needs all the cohesion it can get heading into what is shaping up to be an extremely competitive play-in tournament.
These last few games, much like the summer league, will also give us a chance to look at some of the depth pieces of the team. It is in Minnesota’s best interest to preserve the health of crucial players, especially those like Patrick Beverley, who run a high risk of picking up minor injuries. This is the deepest the Wolves bench has been in many years. Head coach Chris Finch surely recognizes this, and he will look to rotate in the end-of-bench guys to round into form.
In doing so, the Timberwolves gave Josh Okogie some regular rotation minutes against Houston. It was the first non-emergency or garbage time deployment of Okogie in what feels like forever. The former starter responded well, putting up 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting and two steals in 16 minutes.
Okogie was back like he never left. His typical brand of high energy and hustle charged up the players on the court and the bench, who were enthusiastically cheering him on at every turn. As the second-longest tenured Timberwolf behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Okogie remains one of the most well-liked personalities in the locker room. Even though his opportunities are limited, he is easy to root for and highly effective in limited bursts. These cameos appear to finally be the role that Okogie is most suited for in the NBA.
As a former starter for Minnesota, what happened to Okogie’s role? To put it bluntly, any team with true winning aspirations has no business employing Okogie in a significant role. He is a career sub-30% shooter from beyond the arc who offers little else beyond energy and hustle on defense. Okogie’s defensive instincts and acumen are some of the best in the league, but the team suffers offensively when he is on the floor.
Three-point percentage aside, Okogie is in the bottom 3% of the league in effective field goal percentage this season (41.4%, per Cleaning the Glass). Opposing teams can completely ignore him on offense in the interest of doubling some of Minnesota’s prolific scorers. Even though Okogie has played in only 47 games this season, his pattern of remaining an offensive liability has not changed in his 11 minutes per game. With other bench pieces showcasing their diverse skill sets more consistently, Finch has banished Okogie to the back end of the bench.
However, this limited role is the best thing that could happen to Okogie. His presence in the locker room is valued, and when he does get to play, the Wolves give him full license to be a complete menace on the court. Towns said this best: “Any time we want to let the dog loose, we let the dog loose, and we feel very comfortable he’s gonna get the job done.”
Building Okogie’s confidence before the playoffs is essential as well. This is the least he’s played in his four-year career. His future in Minnesota is murky as the team will inevitably look to trim the fat this offseason and build upon one of the most successful campaigns in recent history. Okogie cannot be counted on to play major minutes anymore, but his status as a plug-and-play energy guy puts him at one of the league’s best for that specific role.
He’s been a fan favorite during his time with the Wolves, and deservedly so. Okogie is as great of a person as a player, and he has done so much work to impact the Twin Cities community positively. As he settles into his reduced role, he and the team can hopefully agree that this is the best possible role for him moving forward and retain him on a team-friendly deal. Okogie truly loves Minnesota, and this state loves him back. With a streamlined and optimized role on the team, this marriage can and should last longer while this young team finds its footing in the NBA.
