The Minnesota Timberwolves have had their fair share of troubles through the first 10 days of the NBA season. One of the biggest problems they have consistently run into has been regarding transition defense. The Wolves have struggled to contain their opposition in the open court, leading to a 2-2 record through their first four games.
Minnesota has had trouble stopping opposing centers from leaking out after a miss on offense, leading to run-outs from their competition. It is something Rudy Gobert addressed at practice this week, and he made it clear the team is working on correcting their mistakes in transition.
Overall, the Timberwolves have seen some solid individual performers over the course of the first four games of the season. Julius Randle has been particularly effective in his new role, taking and making the kind of shots that will allow him to miximize his impact on offense.
But others have struggled, such as Mike Conley. Minnesota Mike is averaging just 7.5 points per game on an ice-cold 22% shooting. Many have been concerned with his performance, especially given his age.
It’s Nov. 1 — the day Mike Conley’s season always actually begins pic.twitter.com/nIY7ov2K2a
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) November 1, 2024
Mike Conley's career numbers are better in November
However, if we look at Conley's shooting numbers for his career, there may not be as much cause for concern as it appears initially. Mike's career stats are significantly lower in the month of October than in nearly any other month.
For his career, Conley shoots 38% from the floor and 33% from three-point range in October. In all other months, his numbers do not drop below 42% in overall field goal percentage and 38% from three.
This can be attributed to a lot of things, but my guess is that even if you asked Mike himself he would not be able to give you a legitimate explanation. More than likely, we can simply chalk this trend up to Conley preferring to have some sort of adjustment period where he figures out his shot diet early on, and then his percentages pick up once a week or two of the season has passed.
We should not expect for Conley to now become a dead-eye sharpshooter since the calendar has switched to November. However, the numbers do not lie, and it is likely that his performance picks up as he becomes more comfortbale with his new teammates.