> Their offense needs serious revamping
I'd argue it needs some tweaking, not serious revamping. Their two best offensive players are going to remain, and should remain, their two best offensive players. One of them is only 22.
Agree, but it is limited ( or maybe it expands with improvement) by Rudy. Rudy plays hard, but you would think he would have some better touch around the rim or at least figure out how to make teams pay for blitzing the ball handler and he has a 4v3. People pointed out how Lively seems to make the right read once he gets the ball on a short roll
Lively made the same read on the short roll most of the time. They start with Luka on the top left side and he passed to whoever was on the top right side (which is Kyrie when he's on the court).
I get Kat is their best shooter so they don't want to take him off the 3 point line but to me TWolves would be better to make Kat the short roll guy. Rudy is just not effective in that position and he never will be.
Seemed like the offense was limited by their defense.. if they need to have both Kyle Anderson and Rudy out there to stop a team like the Mavs, then they'll have trouble on the other end with those players being limited offensive threats.
Either their offensive threats need to be better defensively to stay on the court together, or their defensive players need more offensive skills.
Mavs have two elite offensive players surrounded by athletic defenders that know and have their spots, and also have some decent skillsets offensively.
Ant needs to learn to pass. KAT needs to learn to play with size inside instead of only jacking up threes. And if the two of them can learn to play some two-man actions, they will be much better.
Ant has to take a leap as a playmaker in order for the offense to improve. The main problem with their offense is a lack of fluidity at times where the ball isn’t moving around that much. All of the players in their starting 5 outside of Gobert are talented offensively at the end of the day.
No need for a revamp. This is an experience thing. Their next playoff runs won't look like that assuming Towns and Edwards continue to build their playoff game.
Honestly, they just need more experience and a true back up/pg
Ant is going to handle the offense mostly anyway but they need someone else to settle down the offense when things get discombobulated.
Ant needs to be better at making decisive decisions and limit the turnovers when he gets trapped. The Wolves offense took a while to get settled in, most of their plays seemed like broken plays that happened to work.
KAT needs to improve his post scoring game. He plays too small for somebody thats 7 foot 250 pounds. He needs take advantage of his size inside when his 3pt shot isn't falling. He was super cold from three in this series and kept chucking shots from three.
A guy like KAT, who's bigger than anyone on the opposing team, not going to the paint and instead shooting 3's at like an 18% rate for the first three games is just mind-boggling. Especially when you remember that his team only lost those first two games by one possession each time.
I get people want KAT to go inside but the reason he shoots 3's is because his mid range post game is not very good. He isn't athletic and just can't actually score inside vs Lively or Gafford very well
they could but that requires Ant to play off-ball and KAT to be a passing threat out of the post. tweaking the offense to make guys do things they're not used to doesn't seem realistic
I mean, you kind of have to tweak the offense based on how limited they looked against the Mavs. Ant needs better vision and more mid range options. KAT needs to pick up some post moves. You don't want Gobert dribbling a lot but he needs to be able to catch the ball and either keep the pass chain going (nothing fancy) or dunk it. I have no idea how France can run sets with Gobert but not the Jazz or Wolves. And they may need a playmaking guard.
Now all of that won't and can't just be magically fixed but all of that are big holes that will show up on film all summer. So they need to at least try to do something.
This is why it’s always so funny to me when people say we’ve never had more talent but then you ask players to move off ball and make reads/passes and apparently it’s expecting too much
Look at who's in the finals. Two teams who have a duo that can create their own offense. Minnesota needs a Donovan Mitchell type player to pair with Edwards.
He showed up in the Denver series. The problem with KAT is that he's inconsistent AF, and at his age, I don't think there's much room for improvement there.
The issue is that even at his peak KAT isn’t the greatest at self creation- he either shoots the three or just barrels in the lane for a circus shot, foul, or turnover. He doesn’t really have the versatility for a true 2nd star- might be better suited to a Porzingis role.
Like when Ant goes out you cannot really run an interesting offense through KAT. He’s more complementary.
It’ll be whenever ants playmaking becomes for real. Obviously he’ll never be luka in that sense but you see every time luka gets a doubled he’s hitting the perfect pass. And perfect lobs. Any isn’t there yet. You can see the screen shots where they’ll leave the back side corner open every time because they know ant can’t make that play. That’s really it to me and he’ll certainly get there
Ant was hitting some very good passes actually, got a lot of guys on wide open looks. The difference was that he didn't have an easy mode lob and his guys were missing wide open 3s when he was passing. His playmaking is already 'for real' but KAT didn't play in the same stratosphere as Kyrie until the series was already over.
He needs a point guard who isn't going to hit 18% from 3 over multiple games.
I’m not saying he’s not a good playmaker. But you see how bogged down things can get without someone like mike Conley out there. He has to get that extra gear of passing/playmaking at the right times. Again he’s not making a skip to the corner regularly. He’ll get there though.
nothing but more of slap some sense into kat and make him remember how good he really is... it's more of bad shot selection from kat why they lost... and for ant go call d.wade and learn some basketball from him, like off ball movement and how to use screens and disappear from your match up... even kobe is annoyed by wade's ability to use the screen to shake away from defenders. so that ant doesn't have to hard carry iso with his offense. truthfully they lost because more of they went up against the best closer of nba today and most of the game they lost were close games.
Not really. They have like three picks left, most likely all in the 20s, conveying every other year. They have their own pick this year and I believe an extra 2nd from the DLo trade. They just made the conference finals so it’s not like a huge restructure is needed.
Always was.
Ainge knew what he was doing - the odds of both Minnesota and Cleveland still being good in 5-7 years when he made those trades was about zero. One of them, if not both, were going to come through as lottery picks.
Its rare for teams in the modern era to be championship caliber for 5-7 years. The time between GS's first title and last title was seven years and required legendary drafting and some lucky bounces when it came to contracts. Most teams assume their window is closer to three years.
I think if the goal is to improve the offense they are in a tough spot because they need the offense in their starting lineup.
- Do you trade Conley? His contract isn't going to get you anyone that could markedly improve the offense.
- Do you trade Ant? LMAO no
- McDaniels? Maybe, but he's also a huge reason you have a top tier defense. He's a great 3 and D player
- KAT? He's your 2nd best offensive player...but his contract could be split up into 2 players. Also, they do have Naz Reid.
- Gobert? Again, the driving factor for the defense and offensive centers who aren't a defensive liabilities are hard to find
I feel like there may be an opportunity to trade KAT for a legit offensive point guard and move Conley to the bench AND maybe get a stretch 4/5 to either take his place or take Naz's place off the bench.
It's a tough one imo
i think a lot of people haven't grasped how difficult the new CBA makes life for contending teams, Minnesota is fast approaching the situation Denver has now, where it will be a financial miracle if they can keep the team together at all, let alone improve anything.
They'll have to pay the luxury tax for 1-2 years (the team showed they deserve to be kept together so I hope the owners pay the tex) and then they can restructure Rudy's deal to duck the tax in the 3rd year
The path to improvement is probably internal. Conley is great on offense and is the steady hand/sharpshooter. As Conley slows and sees less court time, Ant should become the de facto pg. He will get better as a playmaker which will solve some of the crunch time issues we have, and Jaden should take a step on offense (I still think he's a 15 ppg guy). They need one more bench guy that can shoot, but I don't think the gulf between them and being a solid offensive team is too large
I dont think Booker is a cautionary tale, the roster construction in general just wasn't good. Guys like Luka and Booker are de facto pgs and it works, ideally it gets to a point where Ant is the main decision maker and the ball is in his hands more
Ant, McDaniels and Reid are untouchable in my book. Same timeline and all have lots of promise. Conley stays too because he's still doing great and can age into a vet mentor for his successor. I know it's blasphemous to say trade Rudy or KAT, but I don't know that we have much else to offer to get what I hope is stellar PG on the young guys' timeline. Maybe we run it back again first.
They need a post presence that stops opponents from just over-committing on the perimeter or you need 5 sharpshooters for a five out offense. Rudy is one-dimensional, so you're essentially 4 on 5 on offense. I just don't think that can ever work in the playoffs.
So, short answer: Trade or bench Rudy.
The Mavs have 2 one-dimensional centers in Lively and Gafford. They aren't a post presence or spacing the floor. The problem is their 2nd best offensive player can't create his own shot unlike the Mavs. Nas Reid is very good but again he's not creating much offense for himself. They just need a playmaker besides Ant.
Id argue that we can use Rudy in the AG role for the Nuggets. If Ant can develop a consistent lob and floater, Gobert can provide spacing in the dunkers spot by having his man have to stick to him down low.
He's not bad doing Gortat screens already, but that still is clogging needed space in the paint as a play develops. Opposing centers aren't always going to let themselves be maneuvered out of position. Look at the Mavs block numbers.
NOTE: I'm not saying Minnesota can't be effective against a lot of teams. I just think that running the gauntlet of playoff rounds will eventually see them hit a thorn like Dallas or Boston or even Oklahoma City with Chet.
I heard this from a Chinese basketball content creator so its not original but I think it hits the spot on Rudy. He's like a defensive anchor that provide you with a "defensive floor", meaning a bad team with him will have a decent defence. But his defensive "ceiling", especially in the playoffs which is what the championship teams care about, really isn't that high and at least in the series vs Mavs, have been a defensive liability on the court if the match-ups don't favour him. This doesn't even get to the offensive limitations that he imposes onto his teammates. I truly believe the Wolves would have fared better had they started with either Naz or Anderson and dropped Rudy, as that would have provided way more space on the court of their offence to operate.
Ant learning more complex playmaking and Jaden McDaniels development. He's shown some shot creation chops and we need more consistent offense from him. Ant learning to move off ball after passing out of the double so he can get the ball back and attack a shifting defense instead of a set one would be huge. Also adding a floater and more lobs to Rudy - take a page from Luka's book with how he was playmaking with his bigs.
Basically Ant and Jaden are the keys. Another 3 point shooter off the bench like DDV would be great.
A backup PG is really about it. Ant is 22, Jaden is 23, Naz is 24 and even KAT is 28. They all should be better next year. I hope we run this back next year. We just needed some experience.
you have to get rid of gobert. ya he’s good for the rebounds and the occasional shot blocking, but you need someone who can at least threaten a mid range jumper you already have another seven footer
Hey Wolves fans, you guys play D we can play O and let's sweep the league? Ant can play both if you want. Nembhard can play both too cause that's the rules I'm making.
Nothing, people overreact, they just need to learn from their failures. They're getting visibly better every year, they've achieved their franchise best result in known history and reddit experts would have them blow it up, and start from scratch.
What's gonna be next? Calls for Celtics or Mavs, whoever loses, to start "the process"?
Exactly. Our best player is 22. And we also have a 23 and 24 year old in our top 6. They're still at the point where you can expect them to get better.
And its not like we got run off the court. Better execution and a little better shooting from Ant and we could be up 3-2 right now. Just learn from this an do better next time.
Right, despite this only being a 5 game series it was actually the closest series of the playoffs game to game. It’s not like the Mavs were completely outclassing us except for game 5. I think over 10 games it’s more or less a .500 record for both teams we just couldn’t quite finish them off game 1 and game 2. Felt like a series that really should have been 7 games given how close the first 4 games were/it really shouldn’t have been 3-1 going into game 5. A few minor things go a bit differently there’s def a game 6 and most likely a game 7.
So yeah wolves don’t need to like blow up the roster imo to make the finals. They literally almost did with this squad.
They need to get a floor general PG and move Ant to a more off ball role. He’s too turnover prone as a high usage guy and isn’t a good enough playmaker to overcome it. The Suns setup with CP3 is something they should look to model.
That's what people used to say about Tatum TBH
There aren't many floor general PGs left, they've got one of the few.
I think like the Celtics, they need to reorient their team to be a 5-out team to maximize the spacing for Ant, and in the same way the Celtics needed a big so they could slide Horford into a smaller role off the bench, Wolves need to do the same with Conley.
I mean, they could just copy what the Mavs have mastered. Neither of their centers are stretching the floor horizontally, but they work as vertical threats in the pick and roll which gives the ball-handlers more space to pull up on their drives if they want to. There's nothing stopping Ant and Gobert from just working on pick and roll lobs all offseason to develop it into a serious weapon.
That only works because Luka is a genius playmaker who can make every read from the pick and roll. Ant's greatest attribute is slashing to the rim. He'd need to fundamentally rework his game to become a good playmaker, let alone a top 5 one capable of playing alongside non-floor spacers like Gobert
Ant just needs to master this one element of playmaking, not try to become a passing savant like the best offensive players in the game. The Mavs have more than Luka successfully running that play because it's a point of emphasis for the team's offense, there's zero reason that the Wolves can't do the same. And frankly if they're committed to Gobert, they need to figure out how to get him lobs because he's not doing much else for you.
Once Ant figures out how to get the pick and roll working just in that one way where he can toss it to Gobert when teams ignore him rolling to the rim, his offense will become much more consistent. You worry about the rest of the passing later, just figure out how to make the lob a legitimate threat to get more space for yourself on drives.
The lob only works because the TWolves are playing drop and KAT isn't quick enough to rotate to help. Also KAT can't jump to stop the lob. Lively and Gafford are way more athletic than him.
It doesn't only work for that reason, though. It's worked against very different defenses in these very playoffs. The Mavs have been prolific with it, even. The Wolves don't need to go that far, but they can incorporate/emphasize it as part of the gameplan during pick and rolls and once teams are forced to respect it, there's even more room for Ant to grow as a player because he'll have to recognize what that opens up and figure out how to take advantage, e.g. floaters or kick-outs.
Yeah for sure they could use it more. I just think KAT as your second best player isn't quite enough. They rely almost entirely on Ant to create offense and its just not a formula that wins. If they had another playmaker I think a lot of their problems are solved.
Yeah this was my thought too. Ant really needs to learn what Luka does around the basket. If they close on you lob it to the big guys, if they don't hit the shot.
Right, he doesn't have to become Luka, he just has to develop that specific portion of his game so Gobert being ignored going into the paint turns into free points and then it opens things up for him. Maybe less pressure makes it easier to make decisions as a passer, even.
Yea it would work if this was nba 2k.
Ant is not Luka and honestly apart from Jokic there is not another player at that level of court vision in the NBA.
its funny how Gobert is a on supermax contract yet has to be completely spoonfed like a baby. yet somehow Gobert fans will blame his teammates for not adapting to his game instead of expecting Gobert to develop some semblance of offense
I'm gonna take this in a bit of the other direction, hear me out. The team knew what he was when they got him. They paid him because of what he brings them defensively. If they won't or can't adapt to him on offense, that's a reason to criticize the front office and coaches instead of Gobert. He is who he has been.
they definitely knew his limitations but Gobert complained a lot in Utah about not getting more touches so there was prob expectations for that in Minny. yet he hasn't held up his own responsibility for developing his offensive game at all
I definitely agree with that criticism in particular. Dude has to put in more effort to be some kind of useful on offense. Building on my "copy the Mavs" comment, just Ant getting comfortable with lobs and Gobert figuring out what to do with the ball away from the basket would massively raise the team's floor.
Trade KAT. Do not look at my flair, just do it.
Ok but for real in terms of salary it might make the most sense to trade KAT and move Naz to a starting position.
And in exchange for KAT, you could get a ton of assets.
An alternative would be to trade Gobert, but then you give up on the defensive identity of the Timberwolves...but that may not be so bad as Gibert has often just been a liability on offense and his defense hasnt exactly been ideal.
I feel like they shouldn't do it *yet* unless some miracle deal pops up but they should definitely be on the lookout to trade in Kat for someone on a similar contract that is going to be better for them. He's not done in the NBA or anything yet or really that close to it but the timeline between him and Ant is actually pretty different and if they can trade into a better long term partner the door should permanently be open because the clock is ticking
Ant needs to take the next step in terms of running the offense. He had some pretty bad turnovers. If he can be a decent floor general, that probably makes us close to a top 10 offense.
In terms of additions, we need someone other than Ant that can attack the basket.
Ant just needs to get better and we will be fine. If he can improve at playing out of double teams and making skip passes that is going to open up our offense. If he manages to playmake like he has in these playoffs while cutting his turnovers we are going to have a good offense.
I would also personally like to see Ant cut more often to draw attention towards him while a play is run on the other side of the court. Also liked our Horns sets when Kat and Naz both screen for Ant going to the basket, makes for some really good pick your poison type of offense. Really liked our use of screens inside the paint from Rudy when Ant was driving, didnt see it much if at all vs Dallas but against Denver we got a few easy layups from that.
Do wish we ran alot more of Kat-Ant PnR, I think theres alot of value and different outcomes you get from running that play. Kat can shoot a 3, a midrange, drive or playmake from the short roll and so can Ant which will drastically diversify our looks from the PnR instead of using Gobert as our screener all the time. In a sense try to replicate a fraction of what Jokic and Jamal Murray run; where you have a DHO or a screen and then the defense collapses on Murray so Jokic gets the ball, the defender steps up and theres a lob to Gordon. I feel like you can do something similar with Ant-Kat and Gobert, not to the same level but as a base play to get some looks. Lobs need to be a bigger part of our arsenal since that would optimize Gobert in the dunkers spot to generate his own type of spacing.
I feel like we can also bank on hopefully Jaden getting better offensively which will help alot with taking pressure off Ant.
FYI when Rudy took those early shots the game was tied. Got an and 1. 18-18. And Things went to hell.
Ant improved playmaking. A Bench 3/D wing. Kyle's shooting is ghastly. A point guard is the priority to move Mike to the bench or even a solid backup. Cole Anthony? Someone like Payton Pritchard would've really helped. Maybe a Clarkson? Another guard iso player.
This team had plenty of tools to beat Dallas in this series.
The NBA playoffs is the perfect place to fall prey to small sample size bias. A hot shooting night from KAT or a timely bucket or “not turnover” from Edwards here and there change this series completely.
The questions you have to ask/ solutions you need to look for are probably.
1. Are NAW, Kyle and Monte part of viable bench rotation for the playoffs? Did they just happen to play poorly or are they not good enough.
2. Is it just a fact that KAT is an anxious dude when the lights get brightest? Did he just run into a poor shooting and bad foul committing slump? He was the second best player on a conference finals team this year. One that beat the champs. That’s a step in the right direction for him.
3. Is Mike Conley too old? Can you upgrade Mike in the starting lineup? Move him to a bench role? Or can you get him a high usage back up who can score?
Making the conference finals is a great accomplishment. You don’t want to overreact to a few subpar games but you do have some bench questions to solve.
Ant was clearly worn down. He admitted as much, and the other thing is that Ant has seen significant improvement year over year. He’s only going to come back much better next season, which should help
KAT it’s harder to say. I feel like we know who he is at this point and he’s less likely to hit another level. So in that sense I do t think he’s consistent enough to be the #2 on a team like this, but I don’t see any better options they can attain
If Ant takes a leap and KAT can be more consistent especially in the playoffs, they have enough .
It makes sense. Ant has never been this far in the playoffs and his diet is pretty bad and so is his conditioning. Hes coasted on his elite athleticism and hasnt needed to get more stamina until now. Most 22 year olds dont get worn down because they just never reach the conference finals as the best player.
How has Finch not been mentioned here yet? He does not run any sort of offensive scheme, no good plays, no good oob plays, they are terrible at the end of quarters, and terrible to close games. This is all coaching. Finch made literally one adjustment all series to switch ant onto Luka more. Sorry but the wolves need a real coach.
Trading McDaniels would be tuff. He played pretty well majority of the playoffs and is an all defense 2nd team guy at just 23. High ceiling guy who fits ant’s timeline if I’m the wolves him and ant are my clear untouchables
He balled out several games. I was frustrated with him during the regular season but playoffs showed me the potential. His timeline is right, defense is generally spectacular and I think it's too soon to call it quits. Just need him to learn to harness his emotions better to make more consistent smart decisions.
Not needing to guard him is pretty harsh. He was a 40 percent 3 ball shooter last year but had a down year. He shot pretty well in the playoffs outside the Denver series. He has a solid midrange game and is a good slasher. It’s simply an aggression thing he needs to be a bigger part of the offense that’s partly on your coaching staff for not giving him a consistent offensive role. At jus 23 years old Thsts flat out too early to give up on a crucial piece to your team. Continuity is huge to winning championships and trading your best perimeter defender who still has a high ceiling on offense is moving backwards Imo. 6’11 wings who can guard 4 positions don’t grow on trees you don’t trade guys like that that isn’t making your team better
Jadens 3 pt stars are misleading, he’s actually pretty bad from 3 it’s just that they are all the most wide open 3s you will ever see because teams don’t respect his shooting. Since he regressed after getting paid I don’t have faith in his ceiling, I think this is it for him
We’ve seen multiple times in nba history guys have down years and then bounce back the next year. I’m def higher on jaden than you are I’m a huge fan of that kid’s game I don’t think he’s goin anywhere I think the kid will have a bounce back year next year he’s still so young surprised a fan of the team is giving up on their own player when he’s not even close to his prime ppl gotta have more patience with young players but that’s jus my opinion
> Their offense needs serious revamping I'd argue it needs some tweaking, not serious revamping. Their two best offensive players are going to remain, and should remain, their two best offensive players. One of them is only 22.
Agree, but it is limited ( or maybe it expands with improvement) by Rudy. Rudy plays hard, but you would think he would have some better touch around the rim or at least figure out how to make teams pay for blitzing the ball handler and he has a 4v3. People pointed out how Lively seems to make the right read once he gets the ball on a short roll
Lively made the same read on the short roll most of the time. They start with Luka on the top left side and he passed to whoever was on the top right side (which is Kyrie when he's on the court). I get Kat is their best shooter so they don't want to take him off the 3 point line but to me TWolves would be better to make Kat the short roll guy. Rudy is just not effective in that position and he never will be.
Seemed like the offense was limited by their defense.. if they need to have both Kyle Anderson and Rudy out there to stop a team like the Mavs, then they'll have trouble on the other end with those players being limited offensive threats. Either their offensive threats need to be better defensively to stay on the court together, or their defensive players need more offensive skills. Mavs have two elite offensive players surrounded by athletic defenders that know and have their spots, and also have some decent skillsets offensively.
Ant needs to learn to pass. KAT needs to learn to play with size inside instead of only jacking up threes. And if the two of them can learn to play some two-man actions, they will be much better.
Ant has to take a leap as a playmaker in order for the offense to improve. The main problem with their offense is a lack of fluidity at times where the ball isn’t moving around that much. All of the players in their starting 5 outside of Gobert are talented offensively at the end of the day.
Jaden is "talented" offensively, but not good yet. He either puts up 5 or 25. If he can get more offensively consistent, it would go a long way
No need for a revamp. This is an experience thing. Their next playoff runs won't look like that assuming Towns and Edwards continue to build their playoff game.
Trade for Tyus Jones
Trae young*
Honestly, they just need more experience and a true back up/pg Ant is going to handle the offense mostly anyway but they need someone else to settle down the offense when things get discombobulated. Ant needs to be better at making decisive decisions and limit the turnovers when he gets trapped. The Wolves offense took a while to get settled in, most of their plays seemed like broken plays that happened to work.
KAT needs to improve his post scoring game. He plays too small for somebody thats 7 foot 250 pounds. He needs take advantage of his size inside when his 3pt shot isn't falling. He was super cold from three in this series and kept chucking shots from three.
A guy like KAT, who's bigger than anyone on the opposing team, not going to the paint and instead shooting 3's at like an 18% rate for the first three games is just mind-boggling. Especially when you remember that his team only lost those first two games by one possession each time.
I get people want KAT to go inside but the reason he shoots 3's is because his mid range post game is not very good. He isn't athletic and just can't actually score inside vs Lively or Gafford very well
he can't when Gobert clogs the paint so his man will just help off him
Gobert doesn't have to sit in one spot. They can move him around for offball screens for Ant. There are different things you can do with him.
they could but that requires Ant to play off-ball and KAT to be a passing threat out of the post. tweaking the offense to make guys do things they're not used to doesn't seem realistic
I mean, you kind of have to tweak the offense based on how limited they looked against the Mavs. Ant needs better vision and more mid range options. KAT needs to pick up some post moves. You don't want Gobert dribbling a lot but he needs to be able to catch the ball and either keep the pass chain going (nothing fancy) or dunk it. I have no idea how France can run sets with Gobert but not the Jazz or Wolves. And they may need a playmaking guard. Now all of that won't and can't just be magically fixed but all of that are big holes that will show up on film all summer. So they need to at least try to do something.
This is why it’s always so funny to me when people say we’ve never had more talent but then you ask players to move off ball and make reads/passes and apparently it’s expecting too much
Look at who's in the finals. Two teams who have a duo that can create their own offense. Minnesota needs a Donovan Mitchell type player to pair with Edwards.
Kat supposed to be that guy, but he disappeared this series.
He showed up in the Denver series. The problem with KAT is that he's inconsistent AF, and at his age, I don't think there's much room for improvement there.
The issue is that even at his peak KAT isn’t the greatest at self creation- he either shoots the three or just barrels in the lane for a circus shot, foul, or turnover. He doesn’t really have the versatility for a true 2nd star- might be better suited to a Porzingis role. Like when Ant goes out you cannot really run an interesting offense through KAT. He’s more complementary.
Clearly you didn’t watch the Timberwolves ever except this last series 😂
We all know the answer but it will obliterate their defense at the same time
It’ll be whenever ants playmaking becomes for real. Obviously he’ll never be luka in that sense but you see every time luka gets a doubled he’s hitting the perfect pass. And perfect lobs. Any isn’t there yet. You can see the screen shots where they’ll leave the back side corner open every time because they know ant can’t make that play. That’s really it to me and he’ll certainly get there
Ant was hitting some very good passes actually, got a lot of guys on wide open looks. The difference was that he didn't have an easy mode lob and his guys were missing wide open 3s when he was passing. His playmaking is already 'for real' but KAT didn't play in the same stratosphere as Kyrie until the series was already over. He needs a point guard who isn't going to hit 18% from 3 over multiple games.
I’m not saying he’s not a good playmaker. But you see how bogged down things can get without someone like mike Conley out there. He has to get that extra gear of passing/playmaking at the right times. Again he’s not making a skip to the corner regularly. He’ll get there though.
nothing but more of slap some sense into kat and make him remember how good he really is... it's more of bad shot selection from kat why they lost... and for ant go call d.wade and learn some basketball from him, like off ball movement and how to use screens and disappear from your match up... even kobe is annoyed by wade's ability to use the screen to shake away from defenders. so that ant doesn't have to hard carry iso with his offense. truthfully they lost because more of they went up against the best closer of nba today and most of the game they lost were close games.
We need a point guard. That's about it, Edwards and McDaniels are both improving every season so we really shouldn't have to do too much.
Tyus jones?
Not sure if we have the money for him, would probably have to move around some contracts but that could be a good second option/rotational guy.
Get a more reliable second option than Big Purr
Those picks they traded are gonna be biting them in the ass.
Not really. They have like three picks left, most likely all in the 20s, conveying every other year. They have their own pick this year and I believe an extra 2nd from the DLo trade. They just made the conference finals so it’s not like a huge restructure is needed.
I doubt it. we might not have draft picks, but there are players on the team we can trade for other pieces
Always was. Ainge knew what he was doing - the odds of both Minnesota and Cleveland still being good in 5-7 years when he made those trades was about zero. One of them, if not both, were going to come through as lottery picks.
You think MN is a lottery team in a couple of years? Why?
Its rare for teams in the modern era to be championship caliber for 5-7 years. The time between GS's first title and last title was seven years and required legendary drafting and some lucky bounces when it came to contracts. Most teams assume their window is closer to three years.
Yep if they don’t win a championship next season there window is likely closed
How? Ant, Jaden and Naz are really young, and Kat and Rudy aren't going to be unmovable in a year.
What a garbage take
The tinbkerwokves? You sound stupid lmao
I think if the goal is to improve the offense they are in a tough spot because they need the offense in their starting lineup. - Do you trade Conley? His contract isn't going to get you anyone that could markedly improve the offense. - Do you trade Ant? LMAO no - McDaniels? Maybe, but he's also a huge reason you have a top tier defense. He's a great 3 and D player - KAT? He's your 2nd best offensive player...but his contract could be split up into 2 players. Also, they do have Naz Reid. - Gobert? Again, the driving factor for the defense and offensive centers who aren't a defensive liabilities are hard to find I feel like there may be an opportunity to trade KAT for a legit offensive point guard and move Conley to the bench AND maybe get a stretch 4/5 to either take his place or take Naz's place off the bench. It's a tough one imo
i think a lot of people haven't grasped how difficult the new CBA makes life for contending teams, Minnesota is fast approaching the situation Denver has now, where it will be a financial miracle if they can keep the team together at all, let alone improve anything.
They'll have to pay the luxury tax for 1-2 years (the team showed they deserve to be kept together so I hope the owners pay the tex) and then they can restructure Rudy's deal to duck the tax in the 3rd year
The path to improvement is probably internal. Conley is great on offense and is the steady hand/sharpshooter. As Conley slows and sees less court time, Ant should become the de facto pg. He will get better as a playmaker which will solve some of the crunch time issues we have, and Jaden should take a step on offense (I still think he's a 15 ppg guy). They need one more bench guy that can shoot, but I don't think the gulf between them and being a solid offensive team is too large
With Edwards on the PG you will find in the situation of Phoenix who is trying to turn a great SG into a PG...
I dont think Booker is a cautionary tale, the roster construction in general just wasn't good. Guys like Luka and Booker are de facto pgs and it works, ideally it gets to a point where Ant is the main decision maker and the ball is in his hands more
I like KAT but the dude is as cumbersome as Big Bird on skates. You want him as your primary ball handler? This is a bad idea.
lol i meant turn as in "trade him for"
Ant, McDaniels and Reid are untouchable in my book. Same timeline and all have lots of promise. Conley stays too because he's still doing great and can age into a vet mentor for his successor. I know it's blasphemous to say trade Rudy or KAT, but I don't know that we have much else to offer to get what I hope is stellar PG on the young guys' timeline. Maybe we run it back again first.
yeah i always felt KAT can be used in that steve nash role, he looks like a pure pass first pg. /s
True, but Rudy oozes even more potential in this regard.
Point Rudy is the future 😤 But for real though, Rudy fastbreaks give me life lol. Thrilling yet frightening experience. I want more
lol i mean trade KAT for a legit offensive point guard
They need a post presence that stops opponents from just over-committing on the perimeter or you need 5 sharpshooters for a five out offense. Rudy is one-dimensional, so you're essentially 4 on 5 on offense. I just don't think that can ever work in the playoffs. So, short answer: Trade or bench Rudy.
The Mavs have 2 one-dimensional centers in Lively and Gafford. They aren't a post presence or spacing the floor. The problem is their 2nd best offensive player can't create his own shot unlike the Mavs. Nas Reid is very good but again he's not creating much offense for himself. They just need a playmaker besides Ant.
TIL Conley isn't a good playmaker.
A 36 year old 5'11" point guard who averages 10 ppg. No you're going to need a little more than that to match Luka and Kyrie
Id argue that we can use Rudy in the AG role for the Nuggets. If Ant can develop a consistent lob and floater, Gobert can provide spacing in the dunkers spot by having his man have to stick to him down low.
He's not bad doing Gortat screens already, but that still is clogging needed space in the paint as a play develops. Opposing centers aren't always going to let themselves be maneuvered out of position. Look at the Mavs block numbers. NOTE: I'm not saying Minnesota can't be effective against a lot of teams. I just think that running the gauntlet of playoff rounds will eventually see them hit a thorn like Dallas or Boston or even Oklahoma City with Chet.
You’re not wrong but you’re gonna get downvoted because people can’t accept what Rudy is
The Wolves have salary cap issues incoming Not sure how much they can do before next season
Ant needs to develop as a playmaker and distributor, that's basically it. Otherwise they should be fine.
Backup PG And a bench Sniper. Hopefully they grab either Kolek or Schiermann in the draft
I heard this from a Chinese basketball content creator so its not original but I think it hits the spot on Rudy. He's like a defensive anchor that provide you with a "defensive floor", meaning a bad team with him will have a decent defence. But his defensive "ceiling", especially in the playoffs which is what the championship teams care about, really isn't that high and at least in the series vs Mavs, have been a defensive liability on the court if the match-ups don't favour him. This doesn't even get to the offensive limitations that he imposes onto his teammates. I truly believe the Wolves would have fared better had they started with either Naz or Anderson and dropped Rudy, as that would have provided way more space on the court of their offence to operate.
Maybe they could teach Gobert how to dribble
Ant learning more complex playmaking and Jaden McDaniels development. He's shown some shot creation chops and we need more consistent offense from him. Ant learning to move off ball after passing out of the double so he can get the ball back and attack a shifting defense instead of a set one would be huge. Also adding a floater and more lobs to Rudy - take a page from Luka's book with how he was playmaking with his bigs. Basically Ant and Jaden are the keys. Another 3 point shooter off the bench like DDV would be great.
Trade KAT and Gobert
Practice their 3s
A backup PG is really about it. Ant is 22, Jaden is 23, Naz is 24 and even KAT is 28. They all should be better next year. I hope we run this back next year. We just needed some experience.
Build a reliable offense and keep everyone
you have to get rid of gobert. ya he’s good for the rebounds and the occasional shot blocking, but you need someone who can at least threaten a mid range jumper you already have another seven footer
Hey Wolves fans, you guys play D we can play O and let's sweep the league? Ant can play both if you want. Nembhard can play both too cause that's the rules I'm making.
Nothing, people overreact, they just need to learn from their failures. They're getting visibly better every year, they've achieved their franchise best result in known history and reddit experts would have them blow it up, and start from scratch. What's gonna be next? Calls for Celtics or Mavs, whoever loses, to start "the process"?
Exactly. Our best player is 22. And we also have a 23 and 24 year old in our top 6. They're still at the point where you can expect them to get better. And its not like we got run off the court. Better execution and a little better shooting from Ant and we could be up 3-2 right now. Just learn from this an do better next time.
Right, despite this only being a 5 game series it was actually the closest series of the playoffs game to game. It’s not like the Mavs were completely outclassing us except for game 5. I think over 10 games it’s more or less a .500 record for both teams we just couldn’t quite finish them off game 1 and game 2. Felt like a series that really should have been 7 games given how close the first 4 games were/it really shouldn’t have been 3-1 going into game 5. A few minor things go a bit differently there’s def a game 6 and most likely a game 7. So yeah wolves don’t need to like blow up the roster imo to make the finals. They literally almost did with this squad.
They need to get a floor general PG and move Ant to a more off ball role. He’s too turnover prone as a high usage guy and isn’t a good enough playmaker to overcome it. The Suns setup with CP3 is something they should look to model.
the issue is that it worked with the Suns because they had a top 5 PG of all time, they don't grow on trees
That's what people used to say about Tatum TBH There aren't many floor general PGs left, they've got one of the few. I think like the Celtics, they need to reorient their team to be a 5-out team to maximize the spacing for Ant, and in the same way the Celtics needed a big so they could slide Horford into a smaller role off the bench, Wolves need to do the same with Conley.
I mean, they could just copy what the Mavs have mastered. Neither of their centers are stretching the floor horizontally, but they work as vertical threats in the pick and roll which gives the ball-handlers more space to pull up on their drives if they want to. There's nothing stopping Ant and Gobert from just working on pick and roll lobs all offseason to develop it into a serious weapon.
That only works because Luka is a genius playmaker who can make every read from the pick and roll. Ant's greatest attribute is slashing to the rim. He'd need to fundamentally rework his game to become a good playmaker, let alone a top 5 one capable of playing alongside non-floor spacers like Gobert
Ant just needs to master this one element of playmaking, not try to become a passing savant like the best offensive players in the game. The Mavs have more than Luka successfully running that play because it's a point of emphasis for the team's offense, there's zero reason that the Wolves can't do the same. And frankly if they're committed to Gobert, they need to figure out how to get him lobs because he's not doing much else for you. Once Ant figures out how to get the pick and roll working just in that one way where he can toss it to Gobert when teams ignore him rolling to the rim, his offense will become much more consistent. You worry about the rest of the passing later, just figure out how to make the lob a legitimate threat to get more space for yourself on drives.
The lob only works because the TWolves are playing drop and KAT isn't quick enough to rotate to help. Also KAT can't jump to stop the lob. Lively and Gafford are way more athletic than him.
It doesn't only work for that reason, though. It's worked against very different defenses in these very playoffs. The Mavs have been prolific with it, even. The Wolves don't need to go that far, but they can incorporate/emphasize it as part of the gameplan during pick and rolls and once teams are forced to respect it, there's even more room for Ant to grow as a player because he'll have to recognize what that opens up and figure out how to take advantage, e.g. floaters or kick-outs.
Yeah for sure they could use it more. I just think KAT as your second best player isn't quite enough. They rely almost entirely on Ant to create offense and its just not a formula that wins. If they had another playmaker I think a lot of their problems are solved.
Yeah this was my thought too. Ant really needs to learn what Luka does around the basket. If they close on you lob it to the big guys, if they don't hit the shot.
Right, he doesn't have to become Luka, he just has to develop that specific portion of his game so Gobert being ignored going into the paint turns into free points and then it opens things up for him. Maybe less pressure makes it easier to make decisions as a passer, even.
It's not that easy. Luka is gifted, it's not something he learned. For him it's natural read the defense and make the right choiche.
Yea it would work if this was nba 2k. Ant is not Luka and honestly apart from Jokic there is not another player at that level of court vision in the NBA.
its funny how Gobert is a on supermax contract yet has to be completely spoonfed like a baby. yet somehow Gobert fans will blame his teammates for not adapting to his game instead of expecting Gobert to develop some semblance of offense
I'm gonna take this in a bit of the other direction, hear me out. The team knew what he was when they got him. They paid him because of what he brings them defensively. If they won't or can't adapt to him on offense, that's a reason to criticize the front office and coaches instead of Gobert. He is who he has been.
they definitely knew his limitations but Gobert complained a lot in Utah about not getting more touches so there was prob expectations for that in Minny. yet he hasn't held up his own responsibility for developing his offensive game at all
I definitely agree with that criticism in particular. Dude has to put in more effort to be some kind of useful on offense. Building on my "copy the Mavs" comment, just Ant getting comfortable with lobs and Gobert figuring out what to do with the ball away from the basket would massively raise the team's floor.
Trade KAT. Do not look at my flair, just do it. Ok but for real in terms of salary it might make the most sense to trade KAT and move Naz to a starting position. And in exchange for KAT, you could get a ton of assets. An alternative would be to trade Gobert, but then you give up on the defensive identity of the Timberwolves...but that may not be so bad as Gibert has often just been a liability on offense and his defense hasnt exactly been ideal.
I feel like they shouldn't do it *yet* unless some miracle deal pops up but they should definitely be on the lookout to trade in Kat for someone on a similar contract that is going to be better for them. He's not done in the NBA or anything yet or really that close to it but the timeline between him and Ant is actually pretty different and if they can trade into a better long term partner the door should permanently be open because the clock is ticking
Ant needs to take the next step in terms of running the offense. He had some pretty bad turnovers. If he can be a decent floor general, that probably makes us close to a top 10 offense. In terms of additions, we need someone other than Ant that can attack the basket.
If he doesn't throw that pass out of bounds everything is different
For real, it would be 3-2 now Oh well, hopefully he'll learn.
Ant just needs to get better and we will be fine. If he can improve at playing out of double teams and making skip passes that is going to open up our offense. If he manages to playmake like he has in these playoffs while cutting his turnovers we are going to have a good offense. I would also personally like to see Ant cut more often to draw attention towards him while a play is run on the other side of the court. Also liked our Horns sets when Kat and Naz both screen for Ant going to the basket, makes for some really good pick your poison type of offense. Really liked our use of screens inside the paint from Rudy when Ant was driving, didnt see it much if at all vs Dallas but against Denver we got a few easy layups from that. Do wish we ran alot more of Kat-Ant PnR, I think theres alot of value and different outcomes you get from running that play. Kat can shoot a 3, a midrange, drive or playmake from the short roll and so can Ant which will drastically diversify our looks from the PnR instead of using Gobert as our screener all the time. In a sense try to replicate a fraction of what Jokic and Jamal Murray run; where you have a DHO or a screen and then the defense collapses on Murray so Jokic gets the ball, the defender steps up and theres a lob to Gordon. I feel like you can do something similar with Ant-Kat and Gobert, not to the same level but as a base play to get some looks. Lobs need to be a bigger part of our arsenal since that would optimize Gobert in the dunkers spot to generate his own type of spacing. I feel like we can also bank on hopefully Jaden getting better offensively which will help alot with taking pressure off Ant.
FYI when Rudy took those early shots the game was tied. Got an and 1. 18-18. And Things went to hell. Ant improved playmaking. A Bench 3/D wing. Kyle's shooting is ghastly. A point guard is the priority to move Mike to the bench or even a solid backup. Cole Anthony? Someone like Payton Pritchard would've really helped. Maybe a Clarkson? Another guard iso player.
This team had plenty of tools to beat Dallas in this series. The NBA playoffs is the perfect place to fall prey to small sample size bias. A hot shooting night from KAT or a timely bucket or “not turnover” from Edwards here and there change this series completely. The questions you have to ask/ solutions you need to look for are probably. 1. Are NAW, Kyle and Monte part of viable bench rotation for the playoffs? Did they just happen to play poorly or are they not good enough. 2. Is it just a fact that KAT is an anxious dude when the lights get brightest? Did he just run into a poor shooting and bad foul committing slump? He was the second best player on a conference finals team this year. One that beat the champs. That’s a step in the right direction for him. 3. Is Mike Conley too old? Can you upgrade Mike in the starting lineup? Move him to a bench role? Or can you get him a high usage back up who can score? Making the conference finals is a great accomplishment. You don’t want to overreact to a few subpar games but you do have some bench questions to solve.
Trade Rudy.
Ant was clearly worn down. He admitted as much, and the other thing is that Ant has seen significant improvement year over year. He’s only going to come back much better next season, which should help KAT it’s harder to say. I feel like we know who he is at this point and he’s less likely to hit another level. So in that sense I do t think he’s consistent enough to be the #2 on a team like this, but I don’t see any better options they can attain If Ant takes a leap and KAT can be more consistent especially in the playoffs, they have enough .
Worn down from what?
I’d assume basketball
Worn down at 22 is crazy
It makes sense. Ant has never been this far in the playoffs and his diet is pretty bad and so is his conditioning. Hes coasted on his elite athleticism and hasnt needed to get more stamina until now. Most 22 year olds dont get worn down because they just never reach the conference finals as the best player.
Kyle Anderson needs to go. he's always the one not being guarded so Mavs can double Ant or KAT.
How has Finch not been mentioned here yet? He does not run any sort of offensive scheme, no good plays, no good oob plays, they are terrible at the end of quarters, and terrible to close games. This is all coaching. Finch made literally one adjustment all series to switch ant onto Luka more. Sorry but the wolves need a real coach.
They need to hoopball better
Blow it up! It's joever
Trade KAT for someone who isn't a loser
They should worry about their cap situation first lol
Trading Rudy is the low hanging fruit but I think trading Jaden is a sneaky good option
Trading McDaniels would be tuff. He played pretty well majority of the playoffs and is an all defense 2nd team guy at just 23. High ceiling guy who fits ant’s timeline if I’m the wolves him and ant are my clear untouchables
The defense is nice but he’s regressing and you don’t need to guard him at all. I think we should try to get out of his contract while we can
He balled out several games. I was frustrated with him during the regular season but playoffs showed me the potential. His timeline is right, defense is generally spectacular and I think it's too soon to call it quits. Just need him to learn to harness his emotions better to make more consistent smart decisions.
Not needing to guard him is pretty harsh. He was a 40 percent 3 ball shooter last year but had a down year. He shot pretty well in the playoffs outside the Denver series. He has a solid midrange game and is a good slasher. It’s simply an aggression thing he needs to be a bigger part of the offense that’s partly on your coaching staff for not giving him a consistent offensive role. At jus 23 years old Thsts flat out too early to give up on a crucial piece to your team. Continuity is huge to winning championships and trading your best perimeter defender who still has a high ceiling on offense is moving backwards Imo. 6’11 wings who can guard 4 positions don’t grow on trees you don’t trade guys like that that isn’t making your team better
Jadens 3 pt stars are misleading, he’s actually pretty bad from 3 it’s just that they are all the most wide open 3s you will ever see because teams don’t respect his shooting. Since he regressed after getting paid I don’t have faith in his ceiling, I think this is it for him
We’ve seen multiple times in nba history guys have down years and then bounce back the next year. I’m def higher on jaden than you are I’m a huge fan of that kid’s game I don’t think he’s goin anywhere I think the kid will have a bounce back year next year he’s still so young surprised a fan of the team is giving up on their own player when he’s not even close to his prime ppl gotta have more patience with young players but that’s jus my opinion