Dunking With Wolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 Issues that need to be addressed

By Reed Redmond

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 20: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddle before the game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 20, 2017 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 20: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddle before the game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 20, 2017 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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4. Wing Depth

Pelé. Ronaldinho. Bazz.

Any NBA team with playoff aspirations needs to have depth at every position. On good days, the Timberwolves are eight or nine players deep. And some games, that’s enough. But sooner or later, the Wolves are going to need to address their second rotation’s biggest weakness.

Shabazz Muhammad isn’t getting it done on the wing. And, in my humble opinion, he’s definitely not playing well enough to justify legally changing his name to just ‘Bazz.’

(Pelé. Ronaldinho. Bazz. Which of these is not like the other? …I digress.)

Anyway, the lesser-known Brazilian soccer star Bazz has been hard to watch this year. And we’re far enough into the season that it would be irresponsible to call his lackluster performance an early-season fluke.

I already noted how important it is to have a second unit capable of maintaining a lead. Having a strong second unit is also crucial in case of injury. It’s no coincidence that the Wolves are 0-2 with Shabazz Muhammad starting in place of a sick Jimmy Butler.

At any other position, I feel fairly confident that the Wolves’ bench players are capable of filling in for a couple of games. But if Andrew Wiggins or Jimmy Butler have to miss a game or two, we need a better solution than Bazz.

Maybe that solution will come via trade. Or, as fellow Dunking with Wolves contributor Jake Paynting pointed out a few days ago, that solution might already be on the Wolves’ roster.

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