The Minnesota Timberwolves have won two games since Andrew Wiggins has been out with an illness. Is he a better fit coming off the bench moving forward?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are not in full-on tank mode just yet, but despite a short two-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break, things could still go either way.
After losing back-to- back games to tanking teams, the Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in a dominant fashion on Monday night and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Notably, Andrew Wiggins didn’t appear in either game due to illness.
The team looked better on both sides of the ball, and Jeff Teague had one of his best two-game stretches this season dropping double-doubles of 19 points and 10 assists on Monday and 27 points and 12 assists on Wednesday.
A healthy Derrick Rose also dropped 22 points in the first victory and 12 in the second, reminding fans just how much the Wolves have missed the pair of veteran guards.
Here’s Teague on Rose:
"“Two guys who can handle the ball and make plays,” Teague said. “He is a tremendous player. He can get to the rack at any time. Having another guy that’s special with that basketball like that makes my job so much easier.”"
The Wolves success without Wiggins in the lineup causes one to wonder if the Wolves wing will be better suited coming off the bench. Of course, Luol Deng is not a future starter for this team, but he could start now to get the team going on offense and allow Wiggins to operate with the second unit.
One thing that this team needed the most this season was veteran leadership, and it was lacking so much before Deng arrived. Having a player that coach Ryan Saunders can lean is exactly what the young Wolves need.
Just take a listen to his halftime interview from Monday night.
Luol Deng had nine points in the first half for the @Timberwolves. He joins @MarneyGellner at the break. pic.twitter.com/fMmWHpNOJN
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) February 12, 2019
That is the type of leadership any team in the Association would love to have on their roster.
Now, when it comes to Andrew Wiggins, who is making $150 million over the next five seasons, asking him to come off the bench would be an awkward task. Thirty million dollars every season for a bench player is a tough pill to swallow, but could it be what’s best for the team?
Wiggins has continuously declined since signing his max contract and is shooting a horrendous 39.6 percent from the field this season. He’s still only pitching in 2.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest while attempting the most shots per game of anyone on the roster. Those type of numbers with the lack of consistency and the size of his contract have franchise-killing potential written all over it.
The front office is trying to sell the fans along with other teams hype and “potential” when it comes to Wiggins, but the reality is that their max player is struggling. The franchise must figure out a way to maximize Wiggins’ skill-set or to make the decision to move on sooner rather than later.
Dario Saric finally after three months of being traded got the start and he didn’t disappoint.