The Minnesota Timberwolves should cut down Treveon Graham’s minutes

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Treveon Graham has struggled on offense this season and it should result in a smaller role.

The Minnesota Timberwolves received Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier in a three-team deal with the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets this offseason.

Wolve fans didn’t have high expectations for Graham coming into the season, but has has seen a lot playing time as a starter. Standing at 6-feet, 5-inches and 223 pounds, Graham has the necessary size to guard a lot of the positions on the court.

Thus far he’s been good on that end of the floor, despite his defensive rating being a career-worst 110.1. Graham has brought intensity, energy and the hustle plays that make it hard for Minnesota to take him off the court.

For example, this play against the Brooklyn Nets starts with a steal and a tough rebound and leads into an and-one opportunity.

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While he’s helped the team out tremendously with his defense and hustle, his offense has made it hard to score for the Timberwolves.

Graham is averaging 6.4 points per game while shooting 33.7 percent from the field and 16.3 percent from 3-point range. The 26-year-old forward has never been great shooter in the NBA, but his preseason shooting splits showed some promise in that area as he was shooting 56.5 percent from both the field and downtown.

Because he’s been unable to be a reliable shooter, defenders have often sagged off of him and are clogging the lanes for the Wolves’ ball-handlers. It’s also been a common trend to use his man to double-team Karl-Anthony Towns.

Graham is often the open man in the corner on extra passes and that has resulted in a ton of missed opportunities for Minnesota’s offense.

When Andrew Wiggins returns to the starting lineup, the Wolves will have more wing options. Ryan Saunders could also give Kelan Martin more minutes after he excelled in a gutsy road win against the Utah Jazz.

Giving more playing time to Jordan Bell is also an option as he has the potential to be a dynamic player for this team. Jake Layman, Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie are all players that could take on some of Graham’s offensively ineffective minutes as well.

Graham still provides this team with some value for defensive situations or getting rebounds, but his offensive woes have hurt the Wolves tremendously.

This will be an interesting trend to watch over the next handful of weeks when the Timberwolves start getting healthier.