Winners and losers from the first half of Timberwolves’ 2022-23 season

Loser: Bryn Forbes

Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the most dangerous three-point shooting teams in the NBA. As a team, they knocked down a league-best 1,211 threes in 2021-22. Chris Finch’s offense was operating like a well-oiled machine, and the Timberwolves were rolling in the second half of the regular season.

Minnesota had clearly hoped to replicate that strategy this season, but with personnel differences, it has not been quite the same product. One of the offseason additions they had hoped would help keep them a lethal three-point shot-making team was Bryn Forbes.

Coming in, Forbes had shot 41% or better from three in three of his previous four seasons, dating back to his 2018-19 campaign with the Spurs. But this year in Minnesota, it has been nothing short of a disaster for the usually hot-handed Bryn Forbes. He is currently shooting 25% from beyond the arc and recording his lowest scoring average since his rookie year.

There are a few explanations for Forbes’ abysmal season so far, but perhaps the most obvious is his minutes distribution. The seventh-year guard has simply found himself buried in the rotation, playing just over 10 minutes a night. As such, he is getting off just 1.8 three-point attempts per game.

It is understandable for a sharpshooter to lose a bit of touch when taken out of their rhythm like that, but eventually, Bryn Forbes will have to revert to the norm. The Timberwolves need his shooting prowess far too much for him to be out on the floor just doing cardio.