Mentor and mentee: Does the process make a difference?

Many basketball fans are infatuated with the possibility of great players passing along their knowledge and work habits to the younger generation. Here is a dive into how much stock we should put into this thought.

The NBA is a league that is unique from its competitors in the NFL, MLB, and NHL in that its player’s personalities are promoted in ways that endear on a more intimate level to fans.

There are several theories as to why this may be the case. Perhaps the most coherent argument might be that the NBA capitalizes on the fact that a singular player can drastically change the outlook of an entire franchise more so than any other sport. Look no further than LeBron James and his seemingly infinite number of consecutive finals appearances to augment that statement.

Maybe this is why we as fans clamor for our star players to provide elements of their success for the growth of other players on the team, particularly the young talented ones.

Whenever a great player, whether in the prime of his career or well past it, arrives to a team there is always an abundance of curiosity as to whether they will take on the responsibility of mentoring a young player, or group of players, into a pseudo offspring of themselves. The hope seems to be that this transfer of knowledge might lead to a reincarnation of the great player’s former or current success, thus having a further positive impact on a fan’s respective team.

Something we’re familiar with.

As Minnesota Timberwolves fans, we are not strangers to this concept. When former front office boss Flip Saunders made the decision to flip a still useful player in Thad Young straight up for a severely aged Kevin Garnett, basketball pundits who gauged the trade strictly on basketball ability were appalled. These people stated that team improvements are made by collecting useful NBA talent, not by placing value into the concept of a future Hall of Famer mentoring a bunch of youthful players.

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Now a couple of seasons fully removed from that acquisition, it is still difficult to quantify the impact Garnett’s reunion had on the young Wolves’ roster. Optimists say that his influence on the maturation of new franchise stud Karl-Anthony Towns was invaluable, as his unparalleled work ethic and devotion to greatness did nothing but greatly enrich the already rosy outlook for Towns’ career. Others are slower to heap praise onto the decision, claiming that Towns would have been successful regardless of who surrounded him during his NBA infancy.

We are about to endure round two of this indeterminate process after the offseason acquisition of Jimmy Butler. Butler, in many ways, parallels Garnett in the form of resilience and passion. Much has been made about his overcoming of obstacles throughout his life and how he has used these shortcomings to mold himself into a prideful NBA basketball player who holds himself and his teammates accountable to an almost-exasperating level.

In Garnett’s case, Towns was his star pupil. A seven-footer who glides around the court like a gazelle and contains immeasurable capabilities and physical tools to someday become an all-time great easily connected Towns to his predecessor’s wise words. In Butler’s situation, Wiggins seems to be the assumed beneficiary. They are both physically imposing wing players with an ability to take over games offensively, all while having the defensive tools to guard opponent’s best offensive players for long stretches of time on a nightly basis. The question is, will Butler’s impact on his protégé reach noticeable levels of success this upcoming season and beyond?

Where does it start?

This relationship fails to be conceived without one specific and crucial element: respect. The foundation of a successful rapport between the two sides of a mentorship pivots on the amount of respect given by both parties. No player wants to learn skills and habits from a person that they don’t revere on both a personal or professional level. The same can be said from a reverse perspective in that no star wants to spend time giving away his knowledge to a player who has not earned the privilege of receiving it.

In the Timberwolves case, this first step has seemed to be seamlessly accomplished. Jimmy Butler’s reputation and career path places him among the league’s elite from not only an on-court perspective, but from a behind the scenes standpoint as well. There has been no shortage of feature pieces about his work habits and off-court personality that highlight the personal qualities that make him an attractive mentor for players who need motivation and guidance to reach their full potential.

Moving along to his hope-to-be star pupil, Andrew Wiggins’ personality as a nonchalant and laid back guy skew people’s perception of him. The naysayers have not been shy about expressing their belief that his work ethic lags behind his insane physical gifts. Those who have real insight into this situation adamantly refute these testimonies. Every teammate, coach, and organizational member preaches Wiggins’ devoted work ethic and drive to be great. For all intents and purposes, Wiggins seems to have every quality one could want to blossom from just a volume scoring threat into a two-way star.

Where do we go from here?

The most intriguing thing about the relationship between mentors and mentees is no two situations are ever the same. The blend of intense motivation and subtle encouragement vary on a case-to-case basis, entirely dependent on the personalities involved. People with more reserved personalities are most effectively reached in a different way from those who feed off of harsh criticism. Yet, oftentimes personalities from opposite ends of the spectrum can mesh just as easily. It’s not a science, it’s an art, and every situation contrasts from previous scenarios in their own way.

This will be the most fascinating aspect to watch between Jimmy Butler and the young stars on the Timberwolves roster, particularly Andrew Wiggins. The fourth-year player out of Kansas has been subjected to powerful leadership styles previously, being tutored by the notoriously intense Kevin Garnett. But, while Butler and Garnett may be cut from the same cloth, the patterns of their cloth fabric subtly differ. The ex-Chicago Bull is currently in the prime of his career, clearly prioritizing winning at a high level and grooming his legacy while playing at his peak. When the Big Ticket made his return to the Twin Cities to groom this young roster, his mind was set more on building for the future than instantly accruing wins.

The differences in Butler and Garnett’s leadership styles are just one of the many variables when analyzing the possibilities of how effective the current alpha wolf will be in educating his youthful counterparts. The good thing is Wiggins and Towns have already decoded the advanced calculus that is the NBA for rookies into something resembling algebra. It might just be Butler’s tutelage that makes it as easy for them as simple arithmetic. If that happens, we will still have a difficult time deciphering whether it was Butler who made the difference, or just the natural progression of the Wolves other two stars.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: Highest hopes and biggest fears

Either way, let’s hope this potential is realized as soon as possible.