For years, Micah Nori was one of the most important pieces of the Minnesota Timberwolves organization. Now, he’s the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. And not long into his tenure, Jrue Holiday had this to say to him (via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian): “Jrue did tell me if he was on one of our Minnesota teams the last three years — any of those teams — we would have won a championship,” Nori said. “So there was that. But he was great.”
That exact quote is one reason for pause regarding the incoming LaMelo Ball era for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards has always needed a point guard. But maybe it was about the right point guard rather than the most talented one. Because now, the Wolves are giving up a lot of defense at the one. With Holiday, things could have been perfect.
Ball is a great player, but Holiday’s quote does ignite quite a bit of reflection about what could have been. And if Ball's defense drags the Wolves down, it could put the entire Edwards era in danger.
Could LaMelo Ball bring defensive concerns to the Timberwolves?
The Wolves have been one of the best teams in the NBA for years now. With Edwards leading the way, they made two straight Western Conference finals appearances, though they were bounced in the second round this past season.
So, not long into the offseason, the Wolves decided to make a giant swing. They traded Naz Reid and a ton of draft capital to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Ball.
Now, Ball is slated to be the Wolves’ starting point guard: Something they have been searching for to help Edwards for a long, long time. But what if the fit doesn’t work out?
Offensively, Ball seems like a dream. He’s an elite shot creator, a top-notch playmaker, and an effective, high-volume three-point shooter. That’s everything Minnesota could have possibly asked for next to Edwards.
But the Wolves, whose identity has been defense for years, are going to lose a lot of defensive talent with Ball in the lineup. For all of his strengths, he’s never been a good defender.
Now, imagine the Wolves had Holiday. What if he had been playing next to Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns? Or Edwards and Julius Randle? He’s a great offensive connector and one of the best defensive players in the NBA.
He and Edwards would have made an elite backcourt, and his championship experience would have been great to have, too. Maybe Holiday is right. Maybe he would have helped the Wolves win it all because of how good a fit he would have been.
But now, that’s one question to kick off the Ball era: How good will the fit actually be, especially on defense?jaso
Add us as a preferred source on Google