GDT: Minnesota vs. Denver

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Chris Finch: "We needed to find KAT more. Eleven shots is not enough. I'll take responsibility for a lot of that. In general we gotta find him more. He's been super efficient for us. He rarely leads us in shot attempts."

[AbeVigodaLive]

The Wolves offense execution over the final 5+ minutes was horrendous. Up 87 - 82... they finished 2 - 11 fg.

McDaniels had a great open look... but that had to be by design from Denver. Obviously, Denver WANTS the guy averaging 3.2 ppg in 28+ minutes taking the shot. And then Russell had a good look... albeit a long two which Denver will also live with...

Otherwise, pretty awful. Forced shots. Bad possessions. Yuck. As noted by others in real time... Denver is just a smarter team.


[Note: Hopefully, the defense keeps up what it's doing. It's been so much better than expected. Eventually, the offense will catch up, right?]

[Lipoli390]

I'm disappointed in the way Anthony Edwards has played the last couple of games since his bold post-game press after the loss against New Orleans. He called for more accountability and getting teammates involved more, but I feel like he's actually been more selfish than he was to start the season. Too many offensive possessions are used by him simply settling in isolation. He's talented enough where he can get his shot off anywhere, but there's too much talent on the team for four guys to stand around and watch him dribble the air out of the basketball. He needs to be better. He needs an education on what "settling" means. And he needs to attack the rim more than he has been. I feel like he's trying too hard to show off the work he put into his jumper. That's never going to be the best part of his game.

On the other hand, I like that he's rebounding his position. I also like the defensive effort that I've seen. Those are awesome developments, but he's not quite getting it yet on offense despite the skills and physical ability.

I agree with your observations on Edwards. The good news is that he's only 19 years old. Hopefully, he'll maintain enough humility to acknowledge his weaknesses and respond to the teachings of others.

[KiwiMatt]

Really disapointing to lose that game. It's games like that we have to WIN if we want to make the playoffs.

A few observations:
* We really lack a primary ball handler / playmaker. Both DLO and PBev are better playing off the ball.
* Lack of ball movement is a real concern. Too ISO dependant with our 'Big 3'.
* Huge improvement defensively this season, however this has been offset with a clear regression offensively.
* KAT just doesn't seem to have his head in the game. I don't think he's over his personal battles to be honest.
* Defensive rebounding a real issue, but we are some what making up for it with hussling on the boards. Lack size.
* Missing way too many open 3's and layups.

[Lipoli390]

Really disapointing to lose that game. It's games like that we have to WIN if we want to make the playoffs.

A few observations:
* We really lack a primary ball handler / playmaker. Both DLO and PBev are better playing off the ball.
* Lack of ball movement is a real concern. Too ISO dependant with our 'Big 3'.
* Huge improvement defensively this season, however this has been offset with a clear regression offensively.
* KAT just doesn't seem to have his head in the game. I don't think he's over his personal battles to be honest.
* Defensive rebounding a real issue, but we are some what making up for it with hussling on the boards. Lack size.
* Missing way too many open 3's and layups.

Matt - I agree with all your observations. Here are some more thoughts:

Regarding the missed layups and open threes, I think those issues will correct itself based on the track record of the players missing those shots. DLO, Beasley, Beverley have long track records of being far more accurate from behind the arc than they've been so far this season. McDaniels has a more limited track record, but I suspect he'll end up shooting lose to his percentage from last season. And when the shooting comes around, that will go a long way towards reversing the offensive regression. The over-reliance on iso ball is frustrating, but correctable with time and coaching. If corrected, that will future reverse the offensive slide. I'm hoping that KAT can get his head on straight, but he's still been really good except for last night against the Nuggets.

I'm concerned that two of the issues you've identified are not correctable without roster moves. I'm referring to the lack of size/rebounding and the lack of a high quality primary ballhandler. As you indicated, we can mitigate the issue with hustle and playing Vando major minutes. But that's not sustainable. We need more size for our front line to take on other team's bruisers defensively and help on the boards. As for a better primary ball-handler, the one true elite ball-handler on this team is J-Mac. But it's hard to justify playing him if that means taking rotation minutes away from DLO or Beverley who are both superior players. Edwards doesn't appear ready to assume that role although he might in a year or two.

For now, I'd focus on adding a quality big. That would mean trading Beasley and another asset or two for a high-level big like Myles Turner, Mitchell Robinson, or Christian Wood. In the alternative perhaps we could trade Layman and/or Nowell for a lower-level quality big like Robin Lopez, Gorgui Dieng, Darrick Favors, WCS, Boban, or Thomas Bryant or pursue a young big body with potential like Moses Brown or Tacko Fall.