Game Report - Wolves v. Jazz

[Lipoli390]

Credit the Jazz coaching staff for their strategy to swarm, harass and shut down KAT on the offensive game. And credit the Jazz players for effectively executing that strategy. Last night's game underscored the fact that the Jazz are a very well-coached and excellent defensive team.

It was a disappointing loss, but I'm not too troubled by it. This team is a work in progress and last night's game was just another reminder that Rosas has not yet assembled a team around KAT that can be a true contender (top 5 seed) in the West. In spite of the Wolves surprisingly good start, this is still an evaluation season. The good news generally is that the Wolves are better than many of us thought before the season started.

The positives from last night's game were Wiggins and Martin. Andrew was terrific last night on both ends in spite of a few bad decisions he made with the ball. He was attacking, rebounding and hustling from start to finish. And he did all that coming back from an illness. Kelan Martin and Reid were my two favorites in Summer League. Martin showed last night that he's more than a 3-point shooter. His defense was excellent and he showed the rebounding acumen I saw in Summer League. I know we haven't seen much of him yet at the NBA level, but I've seen enough to consider him a keeper. He's one of those overlooked young talents the Wolves should lock up on a team-friendly deal and focus on developing. Okogie was again a positive force with his stellar defense. If only he could develop a consistent perimeter shot. Culver showed flashes, but like Okogie, we have to hope he can develop a reliable perimeter shot.

Teague was terrible. The ball stops moving when he's in the game running the offense. And when the ball stops moving for this team, the offense doesn't work. He repeatedly fails to spot the open man, opting instead to continue dribbling and often take the ball into traffic for a floater or attempted layup. The Wolves really need to focus on moving Teague by the trade deadline. He's a bad fit for this team based on both his style of play and his age.

A couple side notes. Vanterpool is a very active coach on the bench. He gets up and advises Ryan a lot. Ryan seems very receptive to Vanterpool's involvement. That's a stark contrast to Thibodeau, who usually ignored and often angrily and dismissively waved the assistant coach away. Vanterpool also spends a lot of time talking with individual players. He had an extended conversation with Culver during a break in the action last night. It was a very active two-way conversation. Rosas and Gupta were sitting together again in the press section. They have been sitting in together in the same spots at all but one of the home games I've attended so far. The players continue to display great chemistry on the bench as well as the floor, even when things aren't going well like last night.

So the Wolves lost a game they could have won last night. Better free throw shooting and just slightly better 3-point shooting would have resulted in a Wolves win. But the Wolves remain a game above .500 and have shown they can compete with any team in the League other than the few elite teams. Wiggins continues to impress. Layman and Martin are intriguing under-the-radar prospects. I want to see Reid and Nowell get some significant minutes with the Wolves this season.

I see this Wolves beating the Suns on Saturday.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Thanks for the report Lip. A few thoughts on your observations...

- Kelan Martin certainly works hard on defense, but something is happening when he's attacked off the dribble that he gets called for some really ticky-tack fouls. It's either the type of hazing ritual we often see the refs do with rookie defenders (or white Europeans like Bjelly) or he's somehow just a touch out of position and reaching. It doesn't look like anything on TV, but it's hurt the team because he's given up a lot of free throws on drives that otherwise look pretty well defended (i.e. he's not getting blown by).

- Wiggins was active and made some terrific shots around the hoop, but that 1-10 performance from 3 hurt. He also had a couple of muffed/fumbled balls on drives to the hoop that we haven't seen much of up to this point in the season. Let's hope he gets back on track with his efficiency and handle, but it's easy to get paranoid given his track record.

- Utah played terrific defense, no question. But as Kekgeek and other pointed out in the game thread, it really feels like Ryan and the coaching staff could have done more to free up KAT for shots.

- Outside shooting....I'm going to assume Graham is with us for only this season, so let's forget about him for a second. Okogie is the one I'd like to focus on. He does SO many good things out there. He attacks, gets calls, draws offensive fouls, makes passes, gets deflections, hustles. He's the epitome of a "do shit" player that I love. BUT.....if we ever get really good, he will be at the center of opposing team's defensive schemes. He has GOT to hit a higher percentage of those open 3s, even if it's just at a Rubio or Wiggins type level of 30-33%. He can't keep shooting that shot this poorly and have a major role on a playoff team.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Thanks for the report Lip. A few thoughts on your observations...

- Kelan Martin certainly works hard on defense, but something is happening when he's attacked off the dribble that he gets called for some really ticky-tack fouls. It's either the type of hazing ritual we often see the refs do with rookie defenders (or white Europeans like Bjelly) or he's somehow just a touch out of position and reaching. It doesn't look like anything on TV, but it's hurt the team because he's given up a lot of free throws on drives that otherwise look pretty well defended (i.e. he's not getting blown by).

- Wiggins was active and made some terrific shots around the hoop, but that 1-10 performance from 3 hurt. He also had a couple of muffed/fumbled balls on drives to the hoop that we haven't seen much of up to this point in the season. Let's hope he gets back on track with his efficiency and handle, but it's easy to get paranoid given his track record.

- Utah played terrific defense, no question. But as Kekgeek and other pointed out in the game thread, it really feels like Ryan and the coaching staff could have done more to free up KAT for shots.

- Outside shooting....I'm going to assume Graham is with us for only this season, so let's forget about him for a second. Okogie is the one I'd like to focus on. He does SO many good things out there. He attacks, gets calls, draws offensive fouls, makes passes, gets deflections, hustles. He's the epitome of a "do shit" player that I love. BUT.....if we ever get really good, he will be at the center of opposing team's defensive schemes. He has GOT to hit a higher percentage of those open 3s, even if it's just at a Rubio or Wiggins type level of 30-33%. He can't keep shooting that shot this poorly and have a major role on a playoff team.

That's the rub.

Did anybody watch the LAC vs. BOS game late last night? I saw just the end. The defense was legit. It was near-playoff-level defense.

We haven't seen that much around here... not even in 2018 when the Wolves were in the playoffs for chrissakes. Houston coasted through that series without ramping it up. Being a non-shooter, or a poor shooter, renders many rotation guys absolutely worthless as teams get deeper in the playoffs.

We see it every year. The playoffs reveal who's actually legit and who's just taking advantage of the NBA grind to be serviceable. We can assume (despite the 2108 playoffs) that KAT would be a plus playoff performer. But there's not another guy on the roster who we can assume would be able to handle the increased pressure, game plans and intensity. Wiggins has a chance, but obviously that's not a guarantee.


[Note: Covington shot 33% in his 2018 playoff run. He actually played fewer minutes once the playoffs came around because he simply wasn't as effective.]

[Monster]

Thanks for the report Lip. A few thoughts on your observations...

- Kelan Martin certainly works hard on defense, but something is happening when he's attacked off the dribble that he gets called for some really ticky-tack fouls. It's either the type of hazing ritual we often see the refs do with rookie defenders (or white Europeans like Bjelly) or he's somehow just a touch out of position and reaching. It doesn't look like anything on TV, but it's hurt the team because he's given up a lot of free throws on drives that otherwise look pretty well defended (i.e. he's not getting blown by).

- Wiggins was active and made some terrific shots around the hoop, but that 1-10 performance from 3 hurt. He also had a couple of muffed/fumbled balls on drives to the hoop that we haven't seen much of up to this point in the season. Let's hope he gets back on track with his efficiency and handle, but it's easy to get paranoid given his track record.

- Utah played terrific defense, no question. But as Kekgeek and other pointed out in the game thread, it really feels like Ryan and the coaching staff could have done more to free up KAT for shots.

- Outside shooting....I'm going to assume Graham is with us for only this season, so let's forget about him for a second. Okogie is the one I'd like to focus on. He does SO many good things out there. He attacks, gets calls, draws offensive fouls, makes passes, gets deflections, hustles. He's the epitome of a "do shit" player that I love. BUT.....if we ever get really good, he will be at the center of opposing team's defensive schemes. He has GOT to hit a higher percentage of those open 3s, even if it's just at a Rubio or Wiggins type level of 30-33%. He can't keep shooting that shot this poorly and have a major role on a playoff team.

That's the rub.

Did anybody watch the LAC vs. BOS game late last night? I saw just the end. The defense was legit. It was near-playoff-level defense.

We haven't seen that much around here... not even in 2018 when the Wolves were in the playoffs for chrissakes. Houston coasted through that series without ramping it up. Being a non-shooter, or a poor shooter, renders many rotation guys absolutely worthless as teams get deeper in the playoffs.

We see it every year. The playoffs reveal who's actually legit and who's just taking advantage of the NBA grind to be serviceable. We can assume (despite the 2108 playoffs) that KAT would be a plus playoff performer. But there's not another guy on the roster who we can assume would be able to handle the increased pressure, game plans and intensity. Wiggins has a chance, but obviously that's not a guarantee.


[Note: Covington shot 33% in his 2018 playoff run. He actually played fewer minutes once the playoffs came around because he simply wasn't as effective.]

"2108 playoffs" Abe has seen the future and Towns apparently has found some sort of magic elixir in it.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Thanks for the report Lip. A few thoughts on your observations...

- Kelan Martin certainly works hard on defense, but something is happening when he's attacked off the dribble that he gets called for some really ticky-tack fouls. It's either the type of hazing ritual we often see the refs do with rookie defenders (or white Europeans like Bjelly) or he's somehow just a touch out of position and reaching. It doesn't look like anything on TV, but it's hurt the team because he's given up a lot of free throws on drives that otherwise look pretty well defended (i.e. he's not getting blown by).

- Wiggins was active and made some terrific shots around the hoop, but that 1-10 performance from 3 hurt. He also had a couple of muffed/fumbled balls on drives to the hoop that we haven't seen much of up to this point in the season. Let's hope he gets back on track with his efficiency and handle, but it's easy to get paranoid given his track record.

- Utah played terrific defense, no question. But as Kekgeek and other pointed out in the game thread, it really feels like Ryan and the coaching staff could have done more to free up KAT for shots.

- Outside shooting....I'm going to assume Graham is with us for only this season, so let's forget about him for a second. Okogie is the one I'd like to focus on. He does SO many good things out there. He attacks, gets calls, draws offensive fouls, makes passes, gets deflections, hustles. He's the epitome of a "do shit" player that I love. BUT.....if we ever get really good, he will be at the center of opposing team's defensive schemes. He has GOT to hit a higher percentage of those open 3s, even if it's just at a Rubio or Wiggins type level of 30-33%. He can't keep shooting that shot this poorly and have a major role on a playoff team.

That's the rub.

Did anybody watch the LAC vs. BOS game late last night? I saw just the end. The defense was legit. It was near-playoff-level defense.

We haven't seen that much around here... not even in 2018 when the Wolves were in the playoffs for chrissakes. Houston coasted through that series without ramping it up. Being a non-shooter, or a poor shooter, renders many rotation guys absolutely worthless as teams get deeper in the playoffs.

We see it every year. The playoffs reveal who's actually legit and who's just taking advantage of the NBA grind to be serviceable. We can assume (despite the 2108 playoffs) that KAT would be a plus playoff performer. But there's not another guy on the roster who we can assume would be able to handle the increased pressure, game plans and intensity. Wiggins has a chance, but obviously that's not a guarantee.


[Note: Covington shot 33% in his 2018 playoff run. He actually played fewer minutes once the playoffs came around because he simply wasn't as effective.]

"2108 playoffs" Abe has seen the future and Towns apparently has found some sort of magic elixir in it.

I'm very pragmatic with my prognostications.