Disorganized, unfocused play becoming a theme for Minnesota Timberwolves through 7 games

When the NBA season schedule was released in August, many around the league noted the gift that had been given to the Minnesota Timberwolves. What do I mean? Simply that 10 of their first 13 games were at home, with three games against the San Antonio Spurs (including two consecutive home games against the Spurs) and two games apiece against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz. Of course, preseason projections of those three teams expected them all to be bottom-feeders in the Western Conference.

The early schedule was an opportunity for the Timberwolves to get off to a running start, to build chemistry between those returning members of last year’s surprise playoff core and their flashy offseason acquisition, 30-year-old center Rudy Gobert.

At the time I, like everyone else, expected the soft early schedule to be a blessing. The Wolves could build up a bit of a cushion in the conference standings and get comfortable playing together before facing more challenging tests further down the road. However, early results have left me wondering whether more challenging foes might have been more effective in developing roster cohesion more quickly.

Spurs salvo Timberwolves for a second time

Three times in seven games, against four opponents whose average preseason over/under was 28.75 wins, the Timberwolves have come up short. In none of the four games Minnesota has won have they shown the level of dominance their star-studded roster should be capable of. Time and time again, younger and those presumed less-talented teams have come to the arena ready to outrun, outwork and out-hustle the Timberwolves.

On Sunday night, October 30, 2022, the Timberwolves delivered more of the same on their second road game of the season. The Spurs took a lead midway through the first quarter and never relinquished it, at times stretching the advantage to 19 in the third quarter and holding strong throughout the Wolves’ late push that brought them back to within three points. The Minnesota Timberwolves made just 4 of 29 three-point attempts, a putrid performance from a team that has struggled to find a consistent shooting stroke through the early season.

That was not the case for the Timberwolves’ young and quite capable opponent, a foe that was dialed in and well-prepared. The Timberwolves got knocked on their heels and were unable to recover.

The Spurs still have stars playing

Spurs wing Keldon Johnson had another strong outing, making five threes on his way to a 25-point, eight assists, six rebounds line, and a +20 net rating. Fresh off signing a 4-year, $80 million extension this offseason, he has performed like an All-Star early in the Spurs’ season, averaging 23.9 points, 5.4 boards, and 4.1 assists and shooting better than 43 percent from deep on nearly 9 attempts per game.

While the Timberwolves have not performed up to the standards they invited when they made moves to hire new President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and trade for All-Star center Rudy Gobert, it is worth noting that their opponents have outperformed expectations across the board.

The Spurs, in addition to beating the Wolves twice, have won games at the Philadelphia 76ers and at home against the Chicago Bulls, two other playoff-caliber rosters. The Utah Jazz, who beat the Timberwolves in overtime in the second game of the season, also has wins against the Denver Nuggets, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who the Timberwolves disposed of in both meetings, have beaten the LA Clippers twice. This is the danger in playing “bad” opponents early in the year: they don’t yet know they’re bad.

Or perhaps the NBA world does not know just how good they really are?

Timberwolves greatest test

The Timberwolves face their greatest test of the young season on Tuesday night, November 2, at 9:00 pm CT, when they face the Phoenix Suns (5-1) on the road. The team clearly has a laundry list of areas to improve if they hope to emerge with a victory in that one.

Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to do it without the win-loss cushion their soft early schedule was supposed to provide, and down the stretch of the season, they’ll play on the road and against playoff-level teams far more frequently.

Perhaps the toughest period for Timberwolves HC Chris Finch and the Timberwolves occurs in the time frame from December 18-30, 2022, as the Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Chicago Bulls, then the Dallas Mavericks twice at home, before engaging on a road trip to face the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, the New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks. It may be that come Christmas time, we’ll look back on the early schedule and see a wolf in sheep’s clothing.