What have the Wolves done well this season?

[kekgeek]

Just making a thread of what the Wolves have done well this year

1) Wolves have been a damn good defensive team with Rudy Gobert in the lineup. (89th percentile in the NBA)
2) Wolves have been a damn good offensive team with Rudy Gobert off the floor. (99th percentile in the NBA)
3) Kat has massively improved his passing. Sure he will have a turnover here and there but damn has he been a great passer this year. If he gets it going to his normal level of offense what he does every year that extra step he took in passing is going to be huge moving forward.
4) Prince has been spectacular, shooting the lights out, taking charges etc..
5) Jmac has ran the offense really well besides him missing open 3
6) Mcdaniels has been good on the fast break, good on ball defender, getting better but still not good at putting the ball on the floor. (Needs to improve 3 pt shooting and rebounding)
7) Ant on ball defense
8) Wolves are a top 3 team in rebounding and top 10 in defensive and offensive rebounding
9) Wolves have defended the pick and roll really well
10) Naz in limited minutes has played fantastic in every game
11) Last one is even though we all think the Wolves are playing bad, including myself. Wolves are 4 pts better per 100 possessions on defense better this year and yes the offense is bad but it is 6 pts better this year than last year at this time on offense.

I think they are going to figure it out.

[thedoper]

Thanks for this thread. Lots of areas of improvement, but yes the cupboards arent bare by any means.

[kekgeek]

Thanks for this thread. Lots of areas of improvement, but yes the cupboards arent bare by any means.

Ya, I will say and I know I am going to get ripped by some on this board but I think it matters. The 5 opponents the Wolves have played this year (SAS, LAL, OKC, UTA, PHX) are 21-12 in non timberwolves game this year for a winning percentage of 63.6 (52 win pace) and after tonight it will be 28-12 (57 win pace). Now I do not think the SAS, OKC or Uta will continue with this throughout the year but I think it matter for context that the 5 teams the Wolves have played have been some of the better teams int he NBA and that is when not playing the Wolves. I don't think those teams continue at that pace but right now at this moment they are playing damn good basketball and the wolves played .500 basketball against it.

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

I've figured out that the three of you (Q also) are unconditional optimists... thats cool, the world needs optimists and I guess this fan base does too. I don't agree with most of this, but that's ok. Hopefully we do a 180 tonight against a really good team! Go wolves

[thedoper]

I've figured out that the three of you (Q also) are unconditional optimists... thats cool, the world needs optimists and I guess this fan base does too. I don't agree with most of this, but that's ok. Hopefully we do a 180 tonight against a really good team! Go wolves

Ive been a fan since day one. There havent been many reasons optimism in all 30+ years. I do think relatively speaking this franchise is in as good of a place as it has been in a while which is reason for optimism.

[ItsJustSoSab]

I've figured out that the three of you (Q also) are unconditional optimists... thats cool, the world needs optimists and I guess this fan base does too. I don't agree with most of this, but that's ok. Hopefully we do a 180 tonight against a really good team! Go wolves

Ive been a fan since day one. There havent been many reasons optimism in all 30+ years. I do think relatively speaking this franchise is in as good of a place as it has been in a while which is reason for optimism.

Exactly. I can count on one hand how many times Ive been excited for a Wolves season. Take it when it comes

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

I've figured out that the three of you (Q also) are unconditional optimists... thats cool, the world needs optimists and I guess this fan base does too. I don't agree with most of this, but that's ok. Hopefully we do a 180 tonight against a really good team! Go wolves

Ive been a fan since day one. There havent been many reasons optimism in all 30+ years. I do think relatively speaking this franchise is in as good of a place as it has been in a while which is reason for optimism.

Exactly. I can count on one hand how many times Ive been excited for a Wolves season. Take it when it comes

You all know how I feel, but I'll try to be more of an optimist too

[Q-is-here]

I've figured out that the three of you (Q also) are unconditional optimists... thats cool, the world needs optimists and I guess this fan base does too. I don't agree with most of this, but that's ok. Hopefully we do a 180 tonight against a really good team! Go wolves

Not an unconditional optimist at all, just not going to completely throw the towel in after 5 or 10 games. I'm by no means happy with their play so far, but I'm willing to give them some slack to build chemistry and figure things out.

[Tactical unit]

I don't see it when I watch the games, this team is very flawed in my mind. Full of talent sure, but they lack a leader and effort comes and goes far to often. They are 5-4 wins over OKC twice, LAL missing AD, HOU and one win in three games VS SA.

I'm passionate in calling this team out for what I view them to be because I expect so much more. I really hope to be wrong but I think this team might miss the playoffs and expect a play in game at best.

I would love to see DLO in his best role, 6th man instant offense. If he's not scoring what good is he?

[FNG]

I'm not happy with a .500 record at this stage with such a soft schedule, but kekgeek has put together a good list of what this team has done well and how it might lead to a very good season. I want to mention one thing I have noticed during the first 10 games of the season...a fairly dramatic change in KAT's and Ant's demeanor, which I believe is due to a change in leadership in the locker room.

I was with most of the board in the past in being frustrated with KAT's constant whining...sometimes not getting back on defense while complaining about a no call. I respected his enormous talent, while also not liking the way he presented himself on the court. But I see a different guy this season. Much less whining, much more hustle. And obviously much more interest in getting his teammates involved. He's much more fun to watch this season, and I think it's going to lead to his becoming an even better player.

As for Ant, while I have always enjoyed his enthusiastic, joyful demeanor, I have questioned whether he had the gravitas to become an elite player. I have been to several games this season where I have been able to focus on him, and I see a very young guy who has grown up a lot. He looks much more serious on the court, much more locked in on defense. He still has lapses in focus, but I'm more convinced than ever that he will be a star in this league.

I don't know why I see a change in both of these players, but I'm going to credit it to a change in leadership on the team. Last year the team leader was clearly PatBev...from media day on, he was clearly the guy everyone looked up to. While I loved the defensive intensity he generally showed, I also thought he displayed a certain annoying immaturity, and I think it rubbed off on the young players on the team. This year I see our leaders as two newcomers (Rudy and SloMo) and one player who we hear has taken much more of a leadership role this season (Prince). I don't think anyone would deny that these three are far more mature leaders than PatBev was, and I see it rubbing off on KAT and Ant. I really like what all three of them bring in terms of production on the court, but I think their strong leadership is an understated aspect they bring.