The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves offense should have no issue burying teams with a barrage of 3-pointers or outrunning opponents in transition. Rim attacking could be slightly hit-or-miss depending on how the opponents' rim protection is.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Miami Heat had a busy offseason too, acquiring two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pairing him with All-Star big man Bam Adebayo creates one of the most fearsome defensive frontcourts in the league, one that will pose a challenge for the Wolves on opening day.
The Wolves weren't awesome against the Detroit Pistons' physicality during the preseason, and tonight will test whether that was just preseason or a potential issue with the roster.
The Wolves will need to find ways to get to the rim tonight
Moreover, they have some solid perimeter defenders in Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins. It's more than likely that Wiggins will guard Anthony Edwards, and Mitchell will be tasked with guarding LaMelo Ball. That leaves guys like Klay Thompson or Tim Hardaway Jr. to handle the Jaden McDaniels assignment.
Getting switches onto different players will be crucial for the Wolves' offense, and luckily, they have one of the best screeners in the league, Rudy Gobert, to make those switches more frequent. Antetokounmpo is still a great defender and still one of the better weak-side rim protectors in the entire league, but he hasn't been an ultra-pesky perimeter defender in a few years.
The Wolves can use that to their advantage to not only get off of the physical perimeter defenders that the Heat have, but also to pull Giannis out of the paint, where he thrives. Having to go against two rim protectors is significantly tougher than going at one, and if they can force Giannis to guard the perimeter more, lanes will open up, and the rim will be there for the players who want it.
It will also be incredibly important that the Wolves' role players hit their shots tonight. Obviously, it's important that players hit shots, but tonight specifically, an extraordinary amount of attention will be on either Edwards when he drives or Ball when he's looking to find open players.
The Heat might do what a lot of teams have done in the past and dare guys like Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and the reserves to hit open 3-pointers to beat them. We've seen McDaniels' evolution as a three-point shooter, but Kuminga needs to prove he can't be ignored as well.
The Wolves have the offensive firepower to start tonight off with a win, and the Heat's lack of spacing should make guarding their superstar players at least a little easier. But it will all mean nothing if the Wolves are either a) unable to get to the basket willingly, or b) not able to make the Heat's defense respect the outside shooting enough to come out of the paint.
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