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Minnesota Timberwolves drop game to Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways

By Dylan Jackson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 29: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during their game at Barclays Center on March 29, 2021 in New York City. 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 Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 29: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during their game at Barclays Center on March 29, 2021 in New York City. 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 Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to a star-studded Brooklyn Nets team early Monday night.

112. 147. Final. 107. 86

The Minnesota Timberwolves performed better than expected against the current-title favorites, holding their own for the majority of the game, and making a comeback in the fourth quarter. Outside of Kyrie Irving and James Harden, no one on the Nets really got going – including Blake Griffin, who recorded four fouls in the first quarter.

The Timberwolves, 11-36, hold onto the best-overall lottery odds to retain their top-3 pick.

Takeaway #1 – Minnesota could have used a D’Angelo Russell revenge game tonight.

While D’Angelo Russell has been out for the majority of the season due to a knee injury, the Timberwolves really missed his presence as a ball-handler and primary playmaker. Ricky Rubio and Jordan McLaughlin only combined for seven total assists through the first three quarters, and that simply won’t cut it against a defense as poor as Brooklyn’s.

Additionally, Minnesota shot sub-40 percent from the field against the Nets, and again, that’s poor against ANY team.

Takeaway #2 – Malik Beasley is still rusty.

Other than the occasional open three, Malik Beasley has had a really rough start to his NBA return following his suspension. With the slow emergence of Anthony Edwards as a consistent 30+ minute player, it seems as though Beasley’s skill set is becoming more replaceable.

It will be interesting to see whether Malik Beasley’s early-season success was more empty stats or legitimate production – but early returns don’t look great.

Long-term, the Wolves should probably seek to trade Beasley in order to diversify their positional breakdown, especially with Jaylen Nowell becoming a solid rotational player.

Takeaway #3 – Jarrett Culver simply is not good enough.

Jarrett Culver, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has had more than a disappointing start to his NBA career. Tonight, he looked unconfident in every level offensively, and was unable to contribute enough defensively to take away from that.

Minnesota needs more two-way complementary players, and unfortunately for them, Culver probably isn’t going to be a big contributor in the long run. Again, patience is key, and Culver is still recovering from various injuries this season, but things are not looking good.

Next. Wolves: Players that have changed under Chris Finch. dark

Minnesota’s next game is against the New York Knicks at home on Wednesday.

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