Wolves vs Suns GDT

[FNG]

My God...15 turnovers for the starters last night, just one for the reserves in 91 minutes!

[kekgeek]

I think the wolves will figure it out. Thought they played good defense and even the ball movement late was better. Yes they turned the ball over but thought they took the smallest of steps tonight

Good of you to notice a couple of green shoots emerging from the ashes Kek. We need to hang in there over the next 10 or so games and just try not to dig too deep of a hole. It's obvious that this team is struggling to find its identity and synergize with each other. Hopefully our starting unit starts to figure things out, but they clearly need more time than any of us thought.

Ya. Once again I'm not happy with the start but it's super easy to look at the negatives when the team doesn't look like it is clicking.

Things that give me hope is the team is playing good defense and that shouldn't change. Gobert has made this team a top 10 defense. The wolves can't continue to shoot this bad, can they? Also every team the wolves have played this year is currently a top 10 defense. So maybe the wolves are ready for some positive progression (they play the number 1 defense on Friday)

[Q-is-here]

I think the wolves will figure it out. Thought they played good defense and even the ball movement late was better. Yes they turned the ball over but thought they took the smallest of steps tonight

Good of you to notice a couple of green shoots emerging from the ashes Kek. We need to hang in there over the next 10 or so games and just try not to dig too deep of a hole. It's obvious that this team is struggling to find its identity and synergize with each other. Hopefully our starting unit starts to figure things out, but they clearly need more time than any of us thought.

Ya. Once again I'm not happy with the start but it's super easy to look at the negatives when the team doesn't look like it is clicking.

Things that give me hope is the team is playing good defense and that shouldn't change. Gobert has made this team a top 10 defense. The wolves can't continue to shoot this bad, can they? Also every team the wolves have played this year is currently a top 10 defense. So maybe the wolves are ready for some positive progression (they play the number 1 defense on Friday)

Every team except San Antonio....but yeah, I didn't realize that OKC, Utah, LA, and Phoenix were all top 10 defenses. And next up is Milwaukee. Gulp.

I think we will see a similar trajectory to last season. Our offense will improve, but our defense will fall off a bit. I think Gobert puts a floor on our defense, so hopefully our offensive improvement exceeds our defensive falloff. There is just no way this team remains a bottom 10 offense.

[Duke13]

I don't check websites for analytical stats like most on this board. To me our defense doesn't look great. It was so predictable and like clockwork how our starters got worked in the 4th quarter when the Suns starters entered the game. Demoralizing.

[FNG]

I think the wolves will figure it out. Thought they played good defense and even the ball movement late was better. Yes they turned the ball over but thought they took the smallest of steps tonight

Good of you to notice a couple of green shoots emerging from the ashes Kek. We need to hang in there over the next 10 or so games and just try not to dig too deep of a hole. It's obvious that this team is struggling to find its identity and synergize with each other. Hopefully our starting unit starts to figure things out, but they clearly need more time than any of us thought.

Ya. Once again I'm not happy with the start but it's super easy to look at the negatives when the team doesn't look like it is clicking.

Things that give me hope is the team is playing good defense and that shouldn't change. Gobert has made this team a top 10 defense. The wolves can't continue to shoot this bad, can they? Also every team the wolves have played this year is currently a top 10 defense. So maybe the wolves are ready for some positive progression (they play the number 1 defense on Friday)

Kek, I might argue they could continue to shoot this bad if they stay so inept creating open looks (spoiler alert- today's Wordle solution may be in this sentence). The contrast between the number of open looks our opponents get with their motion and ball sharing offense compared to looks we get mostly from ISO and pick and roll is jarring. An open three might go in >50% of the time, while a guarded or forced three is likely less than 25% (and yes, I'm pulling those numbers out of my ass, but it's how it looks to me)...guess which category most of our threes fall into.

[kekgeek]

I don't check websites for analytical stats like most on this board. To me our defense doesn't look great. It was so predictable and like clockwork how our starters got worked in the 4th quarter when the Suns starters entered the game. Demoralizing.

Ya, it was not the best once the starters came back in and CP3 was knocking mid range jumper after mid range jumper and then found Johnson in the corner.

The reason why I bring up stats (To be fair to every stat I bring up its still a small sample size so a game here or there can really skew the data) is because I feel like when we watch the games it feels worse than it actually is. Like the Wolves starting unit on defense is currently in the 73rd percentile of all lineups in the NBA when it comes to defense what is really good. The Wolves in general are in the 77th percentile in defense and currently 8th in the NBA in defensive rating giving up a whole 3 pts less per 100 possessions than last years squad, what is freaking awesome.

The biggest issue is this teams offense from the starters have been absolutely pathetic. They are in the 5th percentile of all lineup combinations in the NBA what is flat out pathetic. The one thing that gives me a little hope is when Gobert is off the court this season the wolves are in the 98th percentile when it comes to offense. Wolves need to figure it out on offense with Rudy, I am not going to lie the offense numbers are pathetic with Rudy on the floor it does not matter what type of lineup combination is out there with Rudy they are just really bad 8 games into the season on offense with Rudy on the floor.

Before every shits on Rudy the Wolves defense has been elite with Rudy on the floor. Wolves are 91st percentile on defense with Rudy on the floor, 98th percentile with Rudy and no Kat, 91st percentile with Rudy and Kat and no Dlo on defense. But they just a 27th percentile defense when Rudy is not on the floor.

Rudy has been everything we have wanted when it comes to defense, the Wolves and him have been dominate on that end of the floor when Rudy is on the court. The Wolves need to figure out how to coexist with Rudy on offense. It has been bad and when so far this year the Wolves take Rudy off the floor the offense is damn good.

I trust the offensive talent of Kat, Ant, to some extent Dlo, Jmac, Prince, to some extent Nowell (if he stops shooting every time) to figure the offense out because the Jazz were an above average offense with Gobert on the floor.

[kekgeek]

I think the wolves will figure it out. Thought they played good defense and even the ball movement late was better. Yes they turned the ball over but thought they took the smallest of steps tonight

Good of you to notice a couple of green shoots emerging from the ashes Kek. We need to hang in there over the next 10 or so games and just try not to dig too deep of a hole. It's obvious that this team is struggling to find its identity and synergize with each other. Hopefully our starting unit starts to figure things out, but they clearly need more time than any of us thought.

Ya. Once again I'm not happy with the start but it's super easy to look at the negatives when the team doesn't look like it is clicking.

Things that give me hope is the team is playing good defense and that shouldn't change. Gobert has made this team a top 10 defense. The wolves can't continue to shoot this bad, can they? Also every team the wolves have played this year is currently a top 10 defense. So maybe the wolves are ready for some positive progression (they play the number 1 defense on Friday)

Kek, I might argue they could continue to shoot this bad if they stay so inept creating open looks (spoiler alert- today's Wordle solution may be in this sentence). The contrast between the number of open looks our opponents get with their motion and ball sharing offense compared to looks we get mostly from ISO and pick and roll is jarring. An open three might go in >50% of the time, while a guarded or forced three is likely less than 25% (and yes, I'm pulling those numbers out of my ass, but it's how it looks to me)...guess which category most of our threes fall into.

I got the stats for you, FNG! Don't doubt me. Wolves are currently 9th in the NBA in 3pt attempts on open 3s and 21st in wide open 3 attempts. So actually pretty freaking solid on creating open looks but they are 15th in percentage on open 3s and 12th in percentage in wide open 3s so not as bad as I thought. (I am typing as I am going so I am trying to figure it out as I go).

They are 19th in the NBA in closely guarded 3 pt attempts but a they have not made a closely guarded 3 all year. (Yikes).

So based on my research wolves are about league average on getting open looks and are making them at about a league average. But whenever someone is guarding them they have yet to make a closely guarded 3 this year, what is shocking and the reason why the Wolves are struggling from the 3 pt line. If they are not getting a clean look they are just missing them.

[FNG]

Great info, Kek...please keep it coming. I was disappointed in Rudy's hands last night, but in addition to his superior defense inside, I was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly he jumped out to the perimeter a couple times to contest threes. You're correct...he's everything we thought we were getting on defense, and maybe more. Now we just need to find a way to utilize his screens and rolls to the basket a little more. Better hands would help.

Oh, and thanks for the info on wide open threes too...not what I would have expected!

[Q-is-here]

The Jazz had the #1 offensive rating in the NBA last season. The season prior, they were #3. And the season before that, #10. The Wolves were 8th in Offensive rating last year with largely the same cast of characters taking most of the shots.

I mean, it's frustrating as hell, but on paper there is absolutely zero reason why this team will continue to wallow in mediocrity on offense. And if they do, then Finch is part of the problem. No way can you be a bottom 10 offense after 30 or 40 games with this roster.

I'll give it more time....

[AbeVigodaLive]

Nowell first 5 possessions since entering the game.

Missed layup
Missed jumper
Made jumper
Dribbled for 20 of the 24 seconds passes to Kat for a late 3
Missed 3

This team just plays my turn AAU ball

Yes. I've been pretty harsh on Nowell's play this season. And it was there last night, too. But he wasn't alone.

I know we all love Edwards, but my gawd... he's a ballstopper, too. My favorite series of plays last night was when Edwards dribbled and dribbled and dribbled until he took on three defenders for a contested missed jumper. Then, Nowell dribbled and dribbled and dribbled into a contested missed jumper. And then the next time down, Towns launched an ill-advised contested three pointer.

The very best part of the night was watching Naz Reid jump up and down in the corner with no defender around him, only to see Edwards dribble, dribble and dribble instead. Granted, he scored on a layup, for which Reid gave him a high five after... but that just added to the dysfunction just a bit.




[Note: One other note, FNG beat me to the punch... Gobert seems to have terrible hands. TERRIBLE. Like, he's trying to puncture the basketball using only the palms of his hands. It's actually shocking in a way just how robotic and awkward he looks sometimes.]