Every human being goes through their fair share of emotions. That’s regardless of how much money they are making, so even though NBA players are making millions, they are entitled to go through times when they are unhappy as well.
Watching the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, it was fairly evident that they had their moments of moodiness. Their body language displayed this, particularly when things weren’t going their way. Bringing in LaMelo Ball could help that happen less frequently.
Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune recently spoke with Chris Finch in an interview that came out on Monday. Finch said this about his new star point guard,
“We’ve always talked about a moodiness problem that we’ve had, and we feel like LaMelo brings this infectious quality. People all tell you that he’s really hard not to like. He’s hard to stay mad at, which is a tribute to him and his personality.”
Less moodiness can lead to a more exciting brand of basketball as well as hopefully more success.
More fun on the court
The Timberwolves went last season without a true point guard in their starting lineup. There were certainly times that one of the game’s best scorers, in Anthony Edwards, made that less of an issue. Other times, the ball movement was nonexistent, which led to stagnation in the offense and some unhappy players feeling that they were just standing around.
Jaden McDaniels spoke about said moodiness and players wanting to feel involved after the Timberwolves were eliminated by the Spurs.
“I know we’re all cool, we’re all friends and stuff like that, so it shouldn’t matter who’s having a good game,” McDaniels said. “But I for sure think if we can get rid of that a little bit, we’ll be way better.”
The ball movement should be more present with that true lead guard in tow. Even if Ball’s shot diet has been questioned often during his career, it was less so last season when he was surrounded by more talent with the Charlotte Hornets, including rookie Kon Knueppel. Plus, Ball almost always looks like he enjoys being out on the floor. As Finch stated, that can be “infectious”.
While Julius Randle can’t be blamed for all of the bad body language, he would be the first player that fans point out from last season who looked surly at times. As beloved as Naz Reid is, and deservedly so, he wasn’t perfect in that aspect either. Both of them are no longer with the team.
That aspect of Ball's game, his positivity, hasn’t really been talked about since the Wolves acquired him. It’s an underrated aspect as well, and he can help keep Minnesota even-keeled while also allowing the ball to move in order to keep others happy.
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