1. Noah Vonleh’s versatility has game-changing potential for the Wolves
In recent years, Minnesota has lacked versatility on both ends of the floor. Previous teams had be comprised of bigs that could only play down low, guards that weren’t great shooters, very few three-level scorers, and a minimal number of defenders that could guard multiple positions successfully.
Noah Vonleh was one of the most versatile free agents in the 2019 free agent class. He projects as a 4, but thanks to his athleticism, he doesn’t always look like one.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was no match for a driving Vonleh to open this game. His first step is quick enough off the bounce where he can get by bigger defenders with relative ease and consistency. A big part of that is his above-average handles for a 6-foot-9, 250-pound physical beast.
At times, he would haul in rebounds and then put the ball on the deck, looking to push the pace in the fastbreak if he didn’t immediately find a guard, which is an awesome awareness to have in an up-tempo offensive style.
Here, Vonleh takes the board coast-to-coast and goes right at Jarrett Allen here for a tough, aggressive bucket. Last season, scored 19.4 percent of his points from the line, a solid number for a big. Expect Ryan Saunders to ask Vonleh to be hyper-aggressive in taking it to the rim and putting pressure on opposing bigs this season, like he does in this clip.
In this play, Noah flashes his comfort and confidence in driving to the rim on a taller defender. Once he gets stopped on the drive, he doesn’t panic; rather, he understand Allen is a chance-taker when it comes to blocking shots and hits him with a smooth up-and-under move for an easy lay-in.
What excites me most about Vonleh’s offensive talent is his fearlessness in attacking anyone in down low. Steven Adams is a great post shot-blocker and an absolute tank in the paint defensively, but Noah doesn’t care. He takes space with a power dribble and throws it down in his face for an and-one.
As for bounce? Yeah, he’s got that, too.
Vonleh flashes his 37-inch max vertical for a huge poster on Jarrett Allen, who was a frequent victim of Noah’s offensive highlights last season. For reference of a top-tier athlete at the 4-spot, highflier Aaron Gordon has a 39-inch vertical.
As a result of his leaping ability and relentless aggression, the former Hoosier standout will also provide some relief on both backboards with put-backs like these.
With his high motor, he’s a guy that opposing bigs constantly need to get a body on and cut out on every possession. He’ll also help KAT get more 1-on-1 situations in terms of crashing the glass, which will significantly benefit both players and the team’s chances of getting extra chances on offense.
Here, he makes Thaddeus Young pay for not cutting him out and Mitchell Robinson helps him corral an offensive board on an awesome hustle play that results in a 3 from Tim Hardaway, Jr.
If the Wolves can get RoCo and Andrew Wiggins involved on the offensive glass in addition to KAT and Vonleh, they could be a super annoying offense to match up with for opposing defenses. The ability to create extra chances on offense for a team with two great scorers in KAT and Wig, and more than capable supplemental shot-makers surrounding them in RoCo, Vonleh, and Teague, could take the Wolves to new heights on offense.
On defense, Vonleh has been a sight to behold when he’s on his game. He showed flashes of greatness on defense, especially when guarding the NBA MVP in isolation. In iso situations, he held his matchups to shooting just 37 percent and surrendered scores just 38 percent of the time, which was good for the 57th percentile league wide (including guards), per the NBA’s Advanced Analytics Portal.
In the first clip, Noah stays low in his stance and moves his feet, absorbs Giannis’ contact with his chest, forces him away from the basket, and pounds his shot off the glass, creating a fastbreak going the other way.
The second play is equally as impressive. On an island against Giannis, with no real help defense around (shoutout to Doug McBuckets for moving out of the way instead of sliding down to cut him off), Vonleh doesn’t shy away from the Greek Freak, but rather steps into him and cuts off his straight-line path, which allows for Noah to utilize his vulturous 7-foot-3 wingspan for a big-time denial.
Another aspect of Vonleh’s defensive upside is his great hands. Here, he perfectly angles his body to position himself where he can swipe at the ball when Turner shoots and have it bounce off Turner’s leg when he strips it.
Despite his label as an underperforming big since his entrance into the league, Vonleh brings a ton of upside on offense and defense that will be a significant upgrade from the production Minnesota got out of the 4 spot last season.