Hours after the trade became official, Tim Connelly sat beside newcomer Monté Morris, whom the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline, in front of the media. A reporter asked Connelly if bringing in a player with playoff experience at the deadline was a goal. “It was a focus of ours the last couple of weeks, trying to find guys who have been [in the playoffs],” Connelly responded.
We have not enjoyed playoff success for a couple of decades, and it’s oftentimes hard to learn that until you have done it. It was a focus of ours the last couple of weeks, trying to find guys who have been there. Monté alluded to it; he’s played in a lot of big games. He won’t be in all of the moment. He had success both individually and as a team. We thought it would be beneficial to our team if we added a guy like Monté, who’s seen a lot of big games.
The Wolves were in a unique situation at the deadline. They held the 1-seed in the Western Conference, playing at a level that hasn’t since 2004. The best record in a conference doesn’t just fall into a team’s lap. They have to work for it and be a prolific team, but the Wolves were in a tight race with the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder for the top rights in their conference and had issues that needed tending to at the trade deadline. Minnesota was far from a perfect ball club.
Isolation scoring and a backup for Mike Conley, 36, were the two highest items on the front staff’s fix-it list. People threw out a slew of names. But the Wolves made only one trade at the deadline, bringing in Morris for Troy Brown Jr., Shake Milton, and a 2030 second-round pick. Morris filled the backup point guard hole, but there is still uncertainty about the roster as the regular season draws to a close.
“We can step into the playoffs as a team that’s ready to hold opponents under 100 points and score over 100 points,” Karl-Anthony Towns told Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on Feb. 23. “It’s a recipe for success. It’s a standard and a consistency that needs to be built and honed every single day.”
The Wolves have held their opponents under 100 points 18 times this season while their opponent averages 106.5 points per game. Both are NBA bests. Minnesota’s defense has springboarded them to the top of the standings. They have maintained their NBA best defensive rating (108), which is 2.2 points lower than the next team, for most of the season.
Minnesota’s combination of length, grit, and scheming from the defensive coaching staff frequently sends opposing teams into a tizzy. As Towns highlights above, having the capability to hold a team under 100 points will be paramount in the playoffs, and the Wolves should have no issues carrying that trend into April, May, and June. However, scoring over 100 points in the postseason is much less of a sure thing, and we are seeing why with the Wolves’ recent play.
“We’re getting it all out of the way. The playoffs are going to be great,” Kyle Anderson responded when asked about poor play in late-game situations. “Look, we are still a young team. I think people forget we’ve got a lot of young guys out there. Of course, we’ve got to grow up and figure it out, and I think we will. Just learn from our mistakes.”
Since Christmas, the Timberwolves have been dead last in clutch offensive rating (93.2), 22nd in defensive rating (118.4), and 26th in net rating (minus-25.2). They are 7-11 in those games. Minnesota’s season-long offensive issues have come to a head late in games. Ideally, the Wolves’ defense would keep the game close and allow them to win in clutch time. But opposing players are taking over and doing enough to win.
The Wolves welcomed a couple of Western Conference foes over the weekend. The Sacramento Kings were in town on Friday, and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Minnesota lost both contests in the closing minutes. The Wolves went 1 of 6 from the floor in overtime against Sacramento, and Malik Monk had 6 points on 2 of 2 from deep in the extra frame. Against Los Angeles, the Wolves went 4 of 13 from the floor in the final 6:10. Those shooting splits aren’t going to get the job done in the final minutes against relatively good teams.
After the loss to the Clippers, Anderson mentions that the Wolves are “still a young team.” That’s true. They rank 12th in average age (25.7) with all the teams younger than them, excluding the Oklahoma City Thunder, and not in playoff contention. The current roster and, to some extent, even the coaching staff must mature offensively, especially in clutch time.
Minnesota doesn’t have the firepower to play loose on offense and frequently comes away with empty scoring trips. When Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Rudy Gobert are on the floor, the Wolves often put opposing teams into serious mismatches, which produce open shots. However, when both or even one is on the bench, the opposition can lock in on defense and dry up Minnesota’s offensive well. We saw that highlighted in the Wolves’ most recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Wolves tacked on 119 points in the eventual win, but the offense was slow for most of the game. Edwards finished with 13 points on 4 of 10 from the floor, and Towns registered 14 points on 5 of 12 while playing just 21 minutes due to foul trouble. Minnesota lacked a player who could shoulder the offensive load with the ball in their hands. Usually, Towns or Edwards can do that, but they could not on Monday night. And as a result, the Wolves looked out of sorts and directionless against an inferior opponent.
That’s why the Wolves may look to update their roster. Adding another veteran, playoff-tested player would help Chris Finch balance minutes and give him a plug-and-play option in April, May, and hopefully even June. But how realistic is a potential signing this late in the season?
With 21 games remaining in the regular season, Connelly and Co. have yet to put the finalizing touches on their roster. On Saturday, March 2, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Wolves plan on singing veteran forward T.J. Warren to a 10-day contract. When finalized, Warren will be the second player signed to a 10-day contract that Minnesota has signed following the trade deadline. Justin Jackson was the first, who the team brought in on Feb. 22.
A 10-day contract is precisely what it sounds like. A player signs with a team for three games or ten days, whichever is longer. After that time, the team can re-sign that player to a second 10-day deal. But after that contract expires, the team has to decide whether they want to sign that player for the rest of the season. Either they sign the player to a standard contract for the rest of the year, convince them to sign with their G-League team, give them a two-way contract, or let them walk as a free agent. In Jackson’s case with the Wolves, it seems he will become a free agent after logging less than one minute combined in two games.
10-day contracts may seem pointless, but they can serve as a prolonged in-season tryout for a player. Warren hasn’t played in the NBA since last season, and he may not get many meaningful minutes with the Wolves during his 10-day contract. But he has an opportunity to show the Timberwolves what he still has left in the tank. Connelly and his staff may be inclined to sign him for the rest of the season if they are impressed by what they see in games and during practices. Warren, 30, lives within the three-point line, which contradicts Finch’s playstyle, but the seasoned veteran has always been able to put the ball in the halo. Having someone like Warren off the bench in a plug-and-play spot when the offense runs dry would be a massive boost off the bench.
Minnesota has until the final day of the regular season to sign a playoff-eligible player. As the regular season grinds to a halt, signing a player – whether that is Warren or someone else – soon is of value. Chemistry and getting on the same page as his teammates will be crucial in being a winning player off the bench as the Wolves gear up for a historic postseason.
Defense (can) win championships, but that isn’t the only reason a team will win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Contenders need consistent offense, which the Wolves continue to work through. Minnesota’s players still have time to sharpen their figurative blades before the postseason rolls around. But the front office must ensure they have enough tools to work with.
