The Minnesota Timberwolves’ issues have been well-documented two months into the season. From Rudy Gobert not having the same consistent impact he had with the Utah Jazz to a teamwide lack of energy, the Timberwolves aren’t that feel-good team they were to close out last season. However, last season’s Wolves squad had an identical 16-19 record in the first 35 games.
You know who else had that same record one year ago today? The Boston Celtics, a tight-knit team that was able to make a run to the NBA Finals and take the Golden State Warriors to six games.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Wolves will make a Finals run. However, there is no reason they can’t claw themselves out of this poor start and finish the last 47 games strong. They can still make a run at a playoff spot without being a part of the play-in tournament, but that’s only if they can follow the blueprint laid out for them from that Celtics squad of last season.
At the time of this tweet, the Celtics owned a 27-25 record – good for the 9th seed in a loaded Eastern Conference. Before the 2021-22 season, experts did not project the C’s to make all that much noise after Danny Ainge stepped down as general manager, Brad Stevens changed roles from head coach to fill in at GM, and the team appointed 44-year-old Ime Udoka as the new HC. However, most were shocked at Boston’s poor start. Some even wanted to see the team part ways with either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum.
“That trade talk was loud, and most of it came from Boston fans,” said Brown before Game 1 of the Finals. “It’s a city that doesn’t tolerate excuses. But in reality, early in the season, we had a new coach, we had a new front office, I missed about 15 games early in the season, and that caused us to not be clicking on all cylinders like we wanted to be. People were impatient, so I understand. But fast forward, we got healthy, we got everybody back, and now the sky’s the limit.”
Despite their sluggish start – and after Brown hit send on the infamous tweet – Boston would go on to win 25 of their last 31 games, finishing with a 51-31 record, obtaining the 2nd seed in the East. The Celtics accomplished their incredible comeback because they all trusted one another, bought into Udoka’s system, played exceptionally hard, and got healthy.
The Wolves have endured a different level of change than Boston did last season. Hiring Tim Connelly mixed things up for everyone. Connelly wanted to put his stamp on the Wolves, and he did that by adding Rudy Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. It’s been tough to get Gobert acclimated to his new team. While we’ve seen flashes of what the Stifle Tower was brought here to do, he hasn’t made the same consistent impact he did in Utah.
On top of this, the Wolves have been banged-up for most of the year. For a team trying to find their bearings together, that’s the last thing Chris Finch and Co. would like to have happened.
- Kyle Anderson missed 10 total games due to back spasms.
- Taurean Prince missed the last 17 games due to a right shoulder subluxation.
- Jordan McLaughlin missed 17 total games due to a left calf strain.
- Karl-Anthony Towns missed the last 14 games due to a right calf sprain.
Missing three key rotational players and your most reliable scorer are good excuses for a slow start. However, good teams figure out a way to win, regardless of who’s in or out of the lineup. Austin Rivers, Naz Reid, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell have stepped up big-time while the team is shorthanded.
Despite certain players filling in for others, the Wolves have still been sputtering since the injuries started to rack up. However, they showed steps in the right direction against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
“It was a good game, good hard-fought game,” said DLo after the game. “I think we got better as a team, a lot of ways we got better. Couldn’t pull the game out, but it’s a tough team, well-coached, a lot of good solid players over there, so we just gotta find a way to finish it.”
Despite the Wolves falling 119-118, they showed a valiant effort on the offensive side of the ball, along with one of the most scrappy, emotional games they’ve played all year. The Wolves played like a team that was desperate for a win. The desperation will lead them out of this long and dark tunnel and hopefully back to the postseason.
Making the Finals may not be in the cards for the Wolves right now. However, the Celtics still laid out a blueprint for the Wolves to follow as they look to turn their season around. Trusting each other, buying into what Finch is selling, playing as they did vs. New Orleans, and getting healthy will give them a fighting chance at making the playoffs for the 2nd straight season, this time without the play-in.
