Minnesota Timberwolves: Preseason Wolves look unhinged
The Minnesota Timberwolves have played in three preseason games. Yet, there’s already a cause for concern in the small sample size.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have looked … how do you say this nicely? Absolutely awful, and that’s me being nice.
Before getting started, it’s important to note that some of these woes are because 4-time All-Star Jimmy Butler is not with the team. His departure has caused an annoying issue with the team and even veteran forward Taj Gibson said during media day that this situation has become a distraction.
Some of this will hopefully get resolved once a trade finally goes through. But with recent news relaying that a Miami Heat deal for Butler has fallen apart, who knows when a deal could get done.
The experiment of Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague manning the backcourt has not gone well either, albeit a few nice quarters. More than likely Minnesota will get some sort of package back that has a guard that can fulfill that role and make a steady contribution.
It would be ideal if Minnesota could get this trade done as soon as possible because this has become a bigger problem than just getting the best package back in return. As much as Butler may have hindered the development of the young pups, you can definitely see how important he was on the court.
Minnesota thus far has looked awful on the defensive side of the court. The offense hasn’t looked any better either, but they should find their stride when playing full minutes – hopefully. Minnesota has never been bad offensively, but there issue has always been trying to find a good middle ground with who gets the ball and when.
In three preseason games, the Timberwolves are 1-2. Surprisingly Minnesota’s only win came against the Golden State Warriors. It’s important to note that Golden State isn’t the normal Warriors team and are without the full strength of their roster, but still.
Moreover, Minnesota has one of the worst defensive ratings in the NBA right now. They currently hold a 107.9 rating, and the only NBA teams below them are the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings. Not the kind of company the Timberwolves would like to find themselves in, especially in the Western Conference.
Next. Miami Heat trade for Jimmy Butler falls apart. dark
Their offensive rating isn’t looking any better either. Minnesota’s offensive rating right now is a low 95.3. Having an offensive rating below 100 is not something you want to see, especially if they already struggle with stopping opponents on defense.
It may be preseason, but these concerns are growing larger and at a more consistent rate. Players visibly look depressed like they don’t want to play, and the Butler situation isn’t helping. At this point, Glen Taylor needs to step in and either fire Tom Thibodeau or force a Butler trade for any feasible offer.
There are numerous reasons causing all of these issues, but right now things are looking pretty terrible for the Wolves. Again, it’s only preseason, but they can’t be looking this out of focus in less than two weeks until the first game of the 2018-19 year.