Mistake IV: Ignoring perimeter shooting
While the Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-23 NBA season did not jump out of the gates, early season injuries were only part of the problem. Of course, we could simply point to the fact that only shooting guard Anthony Edwards and small forward Jaden McDaniels suited up for more than 85 percent of the Timberwolves’ 82 scheduled games in the 2022-23 NBA season. That translates into 71+ games, and only two of the team’s 17 available players met that threshold.
But the other problem that plagued the team was the inability to score from beyond the perimeter. While the team’s three-point scoring improved dramatically over the course of the season, there was a huge void in hitting with long-range artillery early in the season.
It was not as though the team did not try to add perimeter shooting. In fact, the addition of veteran power forward Kyle Anderson, shooting guard Austin Rivers, and shooting guard Bryn Forbes was intended to jumpstart the team’s ability to score from long range until the Timberwolves’ full roster could get comfortable and score from beyond the arc.
Where are the sharpshooters on the Timberwolves roster?
Unfortunately, only Kyle Anderson was able to shoot better than his career average of 34.5 percent by hitting a phenomenal 41.0 percent of his three-point shots.
Veteran Austin Rivers was only as good as his career average of 34.9 percent by scoring 35.0 percent of his three-point attempts with the Timberwolves through the 2022-23 NBA season. Veteran shooting guard Bryn Forbes could not muster even his career average, putting up just 30.4 percent of his three-point shots into the basket, against a career average of 41.0 percent.
The Timberwolves cannot open the 2023-24 season hoping for players to find an ability to score from long range. To win, earn a better seeding for the NBA Playoffs, and advance beyond Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves will need to ensure that this team has the ability to score with the long ball. That may be as simple as bringing back the right players, or a bit more complicated as identifying new players who fit this team. However the Timberwolves’ front office gets the job done, this team cannot start another NBA season without the ability to pump in points from beyond the arc.