Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell had an uneven performance during last season’s playoffs and that has continued with an inconsistent run through eight games in 2022/23, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. While Russell’s counting stats look solid — he’s averaging 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals — his shooting splits of .394/.279/.783 leave a lot to be desired.
If the Wolves aren’t playing better after 20 games (they’re currently 4-4), Rand believes Russell could be the odd man out of the starting lineup, since he’s the only player among the group the franchise isn’t committed to long term. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023, so it’s a big year for him.
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Third-year wing Anthony Edwards has lacked his usual explosiveness this season, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who notes that Edwards has yet to dunk thus far in 2022/23. The 21-year-old recorded 128 dunks in 144 games over his first two seasons, per Basketball-Reference. Edwards gained weight in an effort to add muscle over the summer, but he recognized the added weight was impacting his leaping ability so he’s been working on conditioning, Hine notes. “I’m just waiting for my legs to get under me 100 percent and I’ll be all right,” said Edwards, who added that he’d dropped nine pounds and is now at 230.
- The starting lineup of Russell, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert has struggled mightily to open the season, posting a minus-5.3 net rating and scoring an abysmal 97.4 points per 100 possessions, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The unit didn’t get much playing time together during the preseason, as Towns was sidelined for much of it with an infection and Gobert rested some after competing in EuroBasket for France, so head coach Chris Finch has been giving them extra run in an effort to get the five-man group more comfortable with each other, Krawczynski writes. Finch admits they haven’t made much progress to this point. “Well there hasn’t really been a whole lot of growth with that unit just yet,” Finch said. “So yeah, just working on it, keep focusing on it.”
- In a similar story for The Star Tribune, Hine says that the starters could look to the bench as an example of how to play together and not force so many shots. “They’re sharing the ball,” Edwards said of the second unit. “They don’t care who scores. That’s the biggest thing. They don’t care who score. They all want to see each other shine in that second group.”
Yea we all said this wasn’t going to work so…
Yeah… looks like Philly has it figured out
We didn’t trade our entire future for another center.
True- you just trade 1st round picks to dump Simmons to gain a declining guard who doesn’t play D. It’s working great for you guys. Before you cast stones…
But but, the Wolves were supposed to be great, Jaden McDaniels was supposed to be the new Pippen on D, Ant was supposed to be as good driving to the rim with Gobert clogging the lane instead of KAT spacing the floor for him!
Was I misinformed by Twolves fans again???
We have a classic two faces of a franchise in Minny coming together. Complicated by the biggest divergence of faces we have ever seen.
What has always happened is the one face brings its former teams game with him and its expected by the team and public that both teams styles will merge and they will go on to win a championship.
We have never seen it. Second round and out is it.
Having an emerging superstar in Edward’s is the new wrinkle. He is trapped at current and where part of Minny problems are coming from.
The other problem is that the Wolves have to learn to do things they have never been asked to do and don’t have a coaching staff that knows what that is like people of a certain age in the leauge do.
I have it down exactly. Turn me loose baby and a legit contender to make the conference finals will emerge.
The Celtics went to the finals with Horford and Williams, neither of which are comparable to Towns and Gobert. Give it some time, 8 games is way too early to count the Wolves out.
Give them a chance, takes time to build the flow.
Not sure you can “build the flow” with how teams are abusing the Wolves by making KAT and Gobert do defensive switches. They are what they are. How does Gobert only have 1 FG attempt against Phoenix without Ayton????? What happened to the “gonna be lethal” D’Angelo and Rudy in the pick and roll?? Couldn’t get more than 1 attempt against Biyombo and Londale????
Anthony Edwards was a budding superstar last year. Wolves give up a haul to add Gobert’s “defense”, and in the process disrupt Edwards game offensively????
Exactly. Minny is up against coaches that played on these type of concept teams and know exactly what to do that begets this exact complaint.
They can keep Minny in the spins all game easy.
That’s no good.
I love Anthony Edwards, but it sounds like my man just wasn’t working out in the offseason.
Why would he be “bulking up”???? They got Rudy, KAT and Jaden. The plan was to have him launching more three-point attempts, and be able to be a menace defensively on the perimeter since he would have Rudy behind him.
That’s the plan for many. These so called positionless bigs are supposed to create the spacing that gets the scorers going on a consistent basis.
Haven’t seen it yet.
Minnesota wants 1st unit to be like 2nd unit and not worry about who score’s???
Nope! Just let Edwards and KAT get buckets any way they want to, and everybody else figure out the rest. Gobert don’t need touches. D-LO should just be dime and 3s. Jaden score at rim, shoot three’s (maybe shoot a few less???)
Minnesota had some success last year. Had some nice assets. Then the front office decided they were going to “outsmart” the rest of the NBA, all the while giving the head coach the green light to prove to world that he is both an offensive and defensive genius.
Not looking good right now with that haul of assets out the door for Gobert. This trade will be worse than Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
So they’re gonna win a title or?
6 seed. 1st round exit. Not the multi-championship ring team they thought they were building. They are gonna be wishing they had some of those assets back.
8 games is too small of sample size. Do you really think the Warriors are a lottery team or that the Spurs are going to win 50 games? Give it about 30 games. Besides only 1 team wins it all every year. Does that make every other team’s season a failure?
Sing it baby. Except for the last part.
I personally wasnt a fan of the starting lineup theh went with, and that’s kind of been an issue for them. I also wasnt sure about their defense at the guard spot, and that has come into play as well
Can’t win with Russell. Golden St. got rid of him like somebody had tossed them a hand grenade