The Timberwolves just wrapped up a series against maybe the game's best offensive center of all time, but on defense, Nikola Jokic is far from it.
Jokic let the Wolves essentially walk to the rim and score whenever they wanted, but if they try that same strategy against Victor Wembanyama, he will send their shots into the parking lot.
Wemby just won the Defensive Player of the Year unanimously, and even though he's only in year three, he might already be one of/if not already the most talented defender of all time. He's 7-foot-4, but when people challenge him at the rim, it's like he's 12 feet tall.
Julius Randle and Naz Reid will need to be effective from the perimeter, and Rudy Gobert will need to somehow find ways to be impactful offensively if the Wolves are to give themselves a fair shot in this series.
Julius Randle and Naz Reid have to be able to space the floor efficiently
It's idiotic to try to live in the paint offensively when Wemby is down there. Fortunately for the Wolves, they have two bigs that are more than capable of spacing the floor. However, being capable doesn't always mean it's effective, and in this series, it needs to be.
In the first-round against Denver, Randle shot only 30 percent from 3-point range. I'm not as worried about him from three because he can be a playmaker and do damage in the mid-range, but if he could knock it down with more efficiency, it would only help the Wolves.
Naz Reid, on the other hand, is someone who desperately needs to get going from distance to give Minnesota the best chance.
In the Denver series, he shot 31.8 percent from 3-point land. He made a lot of timely ones out of the corner, but his spacing will be key in pulling Wemby out of the paint as much as possible. In his career, he's shot it a lot better from distance, and even though he's dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, the Wolves are going to need him to tap into his best shooting form.
Rudy Gobert will need to find a way to be effective offensively
Truthfully, I'm expecting a poor showing from Gobert scoring the ball this series. This doesn't mean he can't still be extremely impactful for the Wolves defensively and on the glass, but he won't be able to create any looks for himself against Wemby.
Gobert had an all-time defensive series, but he averaged just 7.7 points against Jokic and the Nuggets. As such, he could be in for a rude awakening against the Spurs.
The key to unlocking Rudy in this matchup will be if he can seal Wemby off in the paint, freeing up lanes for drivers and dominating the glass in the non-Wemby minutes.
Despite Gobert being an extremely poor free-throw shooter, if he is able to potentially get Wemby into foul trouble, that would be a huge win for the Wolves, regardless of whether he makes the free throws.
Ultimately, this will be an opposite series from Denver, and it is more important than ever that not only does Chris Finch push the right buttons, but that the players are the best versions of themselves, especially the bigs.
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