The 11 biggest reasons to watch the Timberwolves this season

4. Zach LaVine: time to sink or swim.

Many people think Zach is going to take a huge step forward this year. It’s certainly possible given he’s entering his third year and he’s finally established at his intended position (shooting guard) and should have a clear role (run and dunk, make threes, be an occasional creator in the half court).

But when you look at his weaknesses, such as inconsistent effort and energy (ala Wiggins), blown defensive assignments, reckless drives to the rim with inability to finish in traffic (still surprising, given his athleticism), and shot selection you can see a pattern of traits that is bound to make Thibodeau lose even more hairs from his once mighty mullet.

In fact, I’ve already traveled to the future to see a video of his reaction when LaVine drives into a triple-team and promptly lays the ball over the entire backboard with 19 seconds left on the shot clock:

Or maybe he’ll go with something more subtle:

Either way, Zach’s reaction to Thibs’s reaction will be something like this:

Zach Lavine’s first year relationship with Thibs will be like that cocky, smart-ass kid in high school who thought he knew everything but then had a class with the disciplinarian, no-nonsense teacher who took absolutely no crap from anyone. They’ll test each other and come out stronger for it or it’ll completely blow up in their faces. I predict we’ll see a little bit of both this season.

There will be stretches where Zach is an offensive fireball and completely locked in on defense and Thibs will be first to offer him glowing praises. There will also be first quarters where Zach will take and miss terrible shots and be a complete sieve defensively before Thibs throws him in the doghouse for the rest of the game.

Both situations will be fun as hell to watch, of course. Remember, the next time you’re about to get mad at Zach for making some boneheaded play, just think of the amazing growl/despondent stare/temper-tantrum Thibs will throw at him. Pure entertainment.

5. The time of Thibs. Holy crap, is this going to be amazing. Why am I so excited that the Wolves are now coached by Tom Thibodeau?

Well, let’s go through a few of the recent coaches in Wolves history: Kevin McHale, Randy Whitman, Kurt Rambis (?!?!), a somewhat disinterested and past-his-prime (all due respect) Rick Adelman, and Sam ‘7-button-suit’ Mitchell. Somehow, through some Karl-Anthony Towns-inspired divine intervention the frozen tundra has gone from a dumpster fire coaching collection to one of the very best coaches in the league.

A series of mostly fortunate events (a championship-starved Cleveland team willing to part with Wiggins for an about-to-leave-anyway Kevin Love, finally not getting screwed by the lottery and winning the rights to draft KAT, and making a few other good draft choices) allowed the best available coach to hit the open market in over five years to fall into the Wolves’ lap. Now, Wolves fans get to sit back and enjoy some professional level coaching. And oh boy, it’s going to be glorious.

What’s that, you want slick out of bounds plays that create a great look? Spray some #Thibsdust (thanks, Canis Hoopus) and this happens:

Looks a little different than your Sam Mitchell out-of-bounds plays where four screens are set that all lead to a lofted pass to Andrew Wiggins on the wing for a contested, fade-away jump shot, isn’t it?

Oh, you’d also like to see a cohesive defensive unit that gives consistently good effort and contests every shot like it’s a playoff game? Well, Thibs basically invented the current NBA defensive schemes that most teams run and his defenses in Chicago finished in the top-10 in defensive efficiency in four out of his five years there (and were 11th the other year).

Hmm, you want to see the Wolves’ promising young players reach their full potential as soon as possible? Well, a 22 year-old Derrick Rose won the league MVP in Thibs’ first season in Chicago and more than doubled his Win Shares from the previous season, going from 6 to 13.1. Jimmy Butler went from the last pick in the first round as a guy who couldn’t shoot but could defend pretty well to an All-Star and max contract player only four years later.

Those players certainly deserve credit as well, but Thibs knows how to get the most out of his guys. Need more proof? Look back to when a decimated Bulls team won on the road in a playoff Game 7 in 2013 with Nate Robinson playing 33 minutes at point guard.

On top of all his, he’s just a gem of a personality. Think of the most sarcastic version of a gem and you have Tom Thibodeau. He’s cranky, ornery, yells so much during games that his voice is completely hoarse afterwards, and his sense of humor is on the Sahara Desert side of dry. In other words, he’s got the potential to be a great Minnesotan. His salty exchanges with local media who ask dumb, antagonizing questions after a loss will soon be the stuff of legend.

How would I sum up my excitement level for watching Thibs coach this team? Let’s let Bart Scott answer that question: