Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for Taj Gibson

A welcome offseason acquisition, Taj Gibson arrives in Minnesota with a wealth of experience. Let’s take a look at five goals for the veteran as he heads into his debut season with the Timberwolves.

There were a whole lot of moving pieces this summer in the Twin Cities, and a whole lot of former Bulls joining the rising tide that is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Taj Gibson slots himself nicely in to each of those categories.

After All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague joined the squad, Gibson was the next man to find himself joining Tom Thibodeau and his band of young stars. He inked a two-year, $28 million contract with the Wolves, by far the most lucrative of his eight-year NBA career.

Gibson started his Timberwolves career on a bad note almost instantly, getting arrested in New York after being stopped for a traffic violation, only to realize he had a suspended license. (The original fine was for an illegal window tint that Gibson failed to pay and was subsequently suspended from driving.)

A perennial NBA good guy, Gibson himself accepted full responsibility for the action, saying he was unaware of the original fine but he was unhappy with letting himself down.

"“I was disappointed, because that’s not the type of guy I am, I do everything the right way and that’s been my stand for years,” he said."

The Timberwolves issued a statement of their own, too.

"“The Minnesota Timberwolves are aware of the recent incident in Queens involving Taj Gibson. The team is confident that the matter has been resolved and we will have no further comment on the issue.”"

It was a shaky start for Gibson, but with a squeaky clean record prior to this, and the fact that it was a fairly small violation, there is no reason to worry about the effect Gibson will have on this team.

It was a strange season for the 6′-9″ forward, who, after playing his first seven NBA seasons in Chicago, he was moved in a mid-season trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

His numbers went down while wearing a Thunder jersey and having a front row seat to the Russell Westbrook show. This didn’t help Gibson’s individual game though, according to Basketball Reference, his minutes per game of 21.2 were the lowest he’d seen since the 2011-12 season.

Playing less made it hard for Gibson to get a consistent rhythm at his new team, and having to adjust to life as a pawn in the MVP’s game would have been difficult to adjust to on the fly.

Gibson predicts to be a huge gain for the Timberwolves this season, with his knack for consistency and his already brimming knowledge of Coach Thibodeau’s system and schemes, as well as being already accustomed to Thibs’ bellowing voice.

Same old coach, New (like, literally, brand new) team colors for Gibson, but will it be the same old, reliable Gibson?

Lets take a look at what he should he be looking to focus on this season.