Pistons reveal 2nd vulnerability of Timberwolves roster
That was plain for everyone to see in both games against the Detroit Pistons, a bad team with a feisty group of players who scratch and claw on every play. In both games, the Timberwolves’ lack of energy, and perhaps as some suggest, competitiveness, was too obvious.
As we had discussed before, players like Jimmy Butler or Patrick Beverley do not get discouraged if they are beaten on plays. On the contrary, that makes them get angrier and more determined, essentially making them far tougher opposition as the game moves along. But the Timberwolves roster as it now stands does not ‘Hulk Out,’ in the least when facing adversity.
And blue-collar Rudy Gobert is mystified why that happens because, like Butler or Beverley, it just makes him pissed off and more determined to play harder:
Rudy Gobert: "After that first stretch, we have a team that’s just straight up playing harder than the other. They’re communicating harder, running harder and they’re more physical than us. Why is that? That’s what we have to figure out."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 12, 2023
Timberwolves players have critical questions lingering after 40+ games have passed this season. Yikes.
Wolves got zerged by Pistons
The Pistons have revealed another crucial vulnerability to the Timberwolves in both games this season. Unless this team is led by great games out of both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves can fall to a lesser but more energetic team.
Can both weaknesses on the Timberwolves roster be corrected in time to make a successful run for the NBA Playoffs? Perhaps. The Timberwolves roster needs to get 100 percent healthy pretty quickly. The team has got to find a solution for that void at point guard. And for the life of me, the Timberwolves Roster has got to start getting angry and determined when an opponent starts to get the best of them.
But looking back at the Rudy Gobert trade once more, all of these issues should have been addressed before pulling that trigger.