1. Sacrifices
Teague was the last man up to end a long-informational media day that lasted about four hours. In his press conference, he made it very clear that the team needs to make sacrifices in order to win.
"“We’re probably not going to average 28 points or whatever… we have to make sacrifices to be great”."
Which brings up a great point. The talent on this team is unquestionable, however, Towns, Butler, Wiggins, and Teague make up four of the five positions in the starting lineup. Why does this matter? Well, simply because they are score first players who demand the ball.
When looking at the recent two-time NBA champion Warriors, we see such an uncharacteristic style of play. The Warriors are known for their three-point play, but also their unselfish play. Having that aspect apart of your team chemistry is so valuable and dangerous. It practically allows your team to find a better shot, usually resulting in more points scored.
Former MVP winner, and current Warriors All-Star Kevin Durant had this to say about Minnesota in a recent interview with Bill Simmons, Ringer CEO.
"Now Teague. Can’t really shoot that well but he can play. He need the ball though. And Jimmy. He can shoot it, but he need a rhythm so he need the ball, too. Wiggins: He the same way. He need the ball. They can all score. They all good, but somebody gotta give up something. Whoever give up the most —"
Teague isn’t the only one who see’s that the Wolves will have to make sacrifices in order to win games.
If that’s what it takes to win games, you can bet that these players will do that. As they all clearly state, winning is the number one goal.