Bench players must step up
One of the notable stories from the Wolves season has been their lack of bench minutes. Tom Thibodeau needs to start plugging in his substitutes more and have trust in them.
The Wolves still rank dead-last in bench minutes per game at 13.4. You can look at the bench stats all you want and notice nothing special. However, keep in mind there isn’t much that can be done when playing 13 minutes per game.
Then consider the toll each starters legs have taken all season long. It’s understandable that they are relatively young, however, not everyone on the team is extremely youthful. A player like Gibson surely does not feel the same as a younger player like Towns after 35 minutes a night.
Here’s the catch: the Wolves clearly need their best five out there at a time at all times since the playoffs are no guarantee. However, how many times have we seen the Wolves up double-digits in the fourth and Thibs still rolls with the starters? These are the crucial moments in which starters should be taken out to save their legs.
There is one less man to use off the bench with Butler out obviously. However, Derrick Rose may be able to provide the Wolves with some more experience off the bench.
Derrick Rose 🌹 x Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/0YuBI3Ck11
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 8, 2018
His words were encouraging when he called out his doubters over the weekend. Hopefully he can back it up with his on court play.
From Rose to Tyus Jones to Jamal Crawford and on, the bench players need to step up during every opportunity they get.
As for Thibs, he needs to take a step back during some moments of the game to save his starters.