At halftime, Timberwolves pieces appear to be falling into place

The Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1) are back on the road again, this time in Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Atlanta Hawks (1-2) in a game that could springboard the team in the right direction.  The Timberwolves defense very much looks the part of a team that is destined for the NBA Playoffs. But offensively? Well, it’s tough to say many positive things about a team that is dead last in the NBA at scoring points.

The Timberwolves are not necessarily a bad-scoring team.  Two games is simply too small of a sample size to really get the pulse of this team. And believe it or not, it truly appears as though defensive savant, small forward Jaden McDaniels, is instrumental in getting the Timberwolves’ offense on track.

With the exception of center Rudy Gobert, and backup center/power forward Naz Reid, the entire Timberwolves roster has been struggling to hit their career averages at putting up points.

Wolves wake up in Atlanta Georgia

The concern heading into Game 3 is the fact that sometimes scoring points is not as easy as flipping a switch. Younger players who come in off the bench often take their cues from the starters. Likewise, sometimes the veteran starters wait for a spark off the bench. Worst of all, sometimes the shots simply do not fall.

That is not the case in this game. All five Timberwolves starters, plus point guard Shake Milton, have a (+/-) value of at least +10 or higher after one half of play. Four Timberwolves players, led by 20 points from shooting guard Anthony Edwards, are in double-digits scoring.

The Timberwolves need to finish this game on a strong note. A win would not only start off the season in the right direction, but the Wolves are still getting their acts together.  The Timberwolves roster is loaded with talent, so it will take time to get everyone comfortable in their roles this season.

At Halftime

Let’s hope that the Timberwolves can sustain this same energy level in the second half.

Have some more Minnesota Timberwolves articles that are quite entertaining:

• Timberwolves Rudy Gobert is taking names this year
• 4 Timberwolves bigs need to show up big starting now
• This Wolves big froze the Heat and willed the team to a win off the bench
• NBA In-Season tournament nears for suddenly struggling Wolves
• How can the Timberwolves ground the Hawks?
• Wolves Mike Conley “(Naz Reid)’s one of my favorite guys…to play with”