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Player grades from the Minnesota Timberwolves loss to Grizzlies

By Dylan Jackson

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 13: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball Jonas Valanciunas #17 and Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 13: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball Jonas Valanciunas #17 and Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves took another tough loss at home, this time to a depleted Memphis Grizzlies.

86. Final. 118. 211. 107

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost a game which they should have won – this time to a Memphis team that did not have either of their two best players: Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had Karl-Anthony Towns back from injury, who was, per usual, the best player on the floor for the team.

D. Per usual, Juan Hernangomez is a non-factor when his shot is not falling – and probably should not have seen the 29 minutes that he did tonight. He was 1-6 from three and gave absolutely nothing on defense. He grabbed eight boards, but just was a lot of the reason the Wolves gave up a huge run in the 3rd/4th quarter.. PF. Wolves. JUAN HERNANGOMEZ

D. Jarred Vanderbilt finished with only 15 minutes, mostly because he got into foul trouble very early on. Still, he had four rebounds and two points, although this was a very sub-par performance given what he adds to the floor most games which he sees minutes.. PF. Wolves. JARRED VANDERBILT

F. Ricky Rubio has not been good this season – like, at all. Things were optimistic when Gersson Rosas was able to add what seemed to be a solid level rotational player in a trade during the NBA Draft, but man, Rubio had just not been sufficient on either end. His confidence looks completely zapped compared to last season, and he is often passive – even with an open look at the rim. The defense isn’t enough to help him stay on the floor, either.. PG. Wolves. RICKY RUBIO

D. Anthony Edwards only saw 17 total minutes tonight, and while it’s questionable as to why he has not seen many minutes, he just seemed like a non-factor when he was on the court tonight. He finished 1-6 from the field with three rebounds and one assist.. SG. Wolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS

SF. Wolves. JARRETT CULVER. D. Speaking of irrelevant, that’s exactly what Jarrett Culver was tonight. He only played for a total of ten minutes – and he was not good in those minutes. Since the first two games of the season, Culver has hardly looked like a player worthy of minutes, which is not what you want to see from a second-year top-10 pick.

B. Look, I know the box score might not indicate that Okogie had a great game (he only had two shots from the field, but the defense was great tonight. He had three blocks and was the closing power forward for Saunders. Okogie should be a major part of the Timberwolves rotation for the remainder of the season, so long as he does not get hurt. It will be interesting to see whether one of the other wings is moved before the trade deadline (Culver might be the most likely of the group).. SG. Wolves. JOSH OKOGIE

A. Okay, Malik Beasley consistently putting up high-scoring numbers on decent efficiency is something that everyone is going to have to get used to. He scored 28 points tonight accompanied by six rebounds, five assists, and only one turnover. He, like most nights, was the very clearly the best wing player on the team.. SG. Wolves. MALIK BEASLEY

B. D’Angelo Russell was good down the stretch for the Timberwolves, providing 25 points and eight assists for the team. He led Minnesota in minutes tonight, and the difference between when he and Rubio was on the floor was very apparent. Overall, a solid (but not great) game by Russell.. PG. Wolves. D'ANGELO RUSSELL

A. Coming off on an injury, you can’t ask for much more from Towns. He gave 25 points and 14 rebounds tonight, alongside three assists and two blocks. He has very clearly improved as a paint defender, and is, as we know, the best player on this Timberwolves team by a very wide margin.. C. Wolves. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS

F. This was not a good Ryan Saunders game. He failed to make the necessary adjustments in order to put his team in a position to win. While it is not his fault that there are no starting-caliber power forwards on the roster, he needs to find alternatives outside of playing Juan Hernangomez for nearly 30 minutes per game. Ryan Saunders should be on the hot seat.. Coach. Wolves. RYAN SAUNDERS

Next. Is the Russell/Rubio backcourt doomed to fail?. dark

The Timberwolves’ next game is against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 15th, 2021.

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