We got him!

[TAFKASP]

I read the title of this thread and got all kinds of excited! I called my manager to see if there was any good news, she said no, and you didn't take the garbage out before you left like I asked.... again. :rolls:

[Coolbreeze44]

A massive upgrade over Bazz and Crawford who strangely Thibs had hard-ons for. I'm still a bit skeptical of the 3 and D tag as I have read that his defense isn't all that good. Hopefully, he can be better than Rudez was.

3 and D is an overused term. I mean how many guys are really stellar at both? Almost anything would be better than Bazz and Crawford but I'll reserve judgement until I see what we really have.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I just watched a full game from this last season when Nunnally played quite a few minutes. It had some fun moments in general that made it worth my time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuKtPRtF1HE

Here are my thoughts.

First of all there are a number of players most basketball fans would recognize from playing in the NBA previously. Wanamaker a teammate of Nunnally was signed by the Celtics. If anyone is a bit curious about why they signed him he is a PG or combo guard that probably fits well in their heavy switching scheme. Supposedly other playoff teams were interesting in him. I'd guess he is the replacement for Shane Larkin. He should be able to improve on that.

Ok now to Nunnnally. I'll go with some negatives first. There were times he got blown by on defense. He isn't wildly quick so yeah some guys are going to get past him. He had some bad turnovers. A couple of these were when he tried to isolate and do something. A couple times he did too much. He wasn't alone they had over 20 TO's in this game. It was ugly at times.

Ok here is the encouraging stuff. The shot looks absolutely legit. When he is looking comfortable you are surprised if he misses. I think he had only one shot I remember that he was set and he missed. He moves without the ball and relocates. A couple times early in the game this actually led to TO's so his Wolves teammates need to know he isn't going to just stand around. I hope that keeps up we need someone like that.

Even though he had some turnovers he still looks to have enough skill that even at a higher level of basketball be will be able to handle the ball at times and move the ball along or attack closeouts etc. Against some 2nd units he might be able to create every once in a while. He isn't just strictly a 3 and D guy, but you don't want this guy going iso on people. Watching some highlights etc he does actually have a post game. He doesn't seem like a selfish player he seems very willing to make a pass etc.

Defensively he si very active and engaged. He is down in a stance sliding his feet and communicating. HE seems pretty good at chasing perimeter players that move without the ball. AS the game went on they started switching more. He looked like he was very clearly communicating what he was going to do if he switched and whatever he did it was very decisive. He doesn't seem like the type of guy that's going to get beat by being unaware or not giving effort. Often during the game you would see him boxing a guy out when the shot went up. He seemed to do ok when he got switched onto a big.

Overall he looks like a guy that can shoot and probably play competent basketball. He will come in playing fewer minutes but mostly the same type of role as he did for his team the last couple years. Hopefully we found a pretty solid player. This game was confirming what I have learned before it.

Thanks for the thorough scouting report Monster. It seems like the guy can definitely hit open 3's and even fairly well contested ones. I don't think he's Klay Thompson or Kyle Korver in terms of his release (or even Zach LaVine for that matter), but there is no question you can't leave him alone out there. He can definitely help space the floor and hopefully play passable defense.

[worldK]

Good job on the report monster. You are 1 of the best posters here. Always active and you do a good job on your research and writeups. Solid and fair takes. Appreciate your posts.

Rrgarding Nunnaly, I like the signing but I will have my reservations on him until I see him play in an nba game. 3 and d is being used a lot these days to raise players value. I have no doubt he can shoot. His shooting numbers are elite no matter the level of play or league. His defense can only be judged when he is defending nba caliber players. Like all here, I hope he become a legit contributor off the bench and that we finally find a gem for once with the minimum money.

[Monster]

I just watched a full game from this last season when Nunnally played quite a few minutes. It had some fun moments in general that made it worth my time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuKtPRtF1HE

Here are my thoughts.

First of all there are a number of players most basketball fans would recognize from playing in the NBA previously. Wanamaker a teammate of Nunnally was signed by the Celtics. If anyone is a bit curious about why they signed him he is a PG or combo guard that probably fits well in their heavy switching scheme. Supposedly other playoff teams were interesting in him. I'd guess he is the replacement for Shane Larkin. He should be able to improve on that.

Ok now to Nunnnally. I'll go with some negatives first. There were times he got blown by on defense. He isn't wildly quick so yeah some guys are going to get past him. He had some bad turnovers. A couple of these were when he tried to isolate and do something. A couple times he did too much. He wasn't alone they had over 20 TO's in this game. It was ugly at times.

Ok here is the encouraging stuff. The shot looks absolutely legit. When he is looking comfortable you are surprised if he misses. I think he had only one shot I remember that he was set and he missed. He moves without the ball and relocates. A couple times early in the game this actually led to TO's so his Wolves teammates need to know he isn't going to just stand around. I hope that keeps up we need someone like that.

Even though he had some turnovers he still looks to have enough skill that even at a higher level of basketball be will be able to handle the ball at times and move the ball along or attack closeouts etc. Against some 2nd units he might be able to create every once in a while. He isn't just strictly a 3 and D guy, but you don't want this guy going iso on people. Watching some highlights etc he does actually have a post game. He doesn't seem like a selfish player he seems very willing to make a pass etc.

Defensively he si very active and engaged. He is down in a stance sliding his feet and communicating. HE seems pretty good at chasing perimeter players that move without the ball. AS the game went on they started switching more. He looked like he was very clearly communicating what he was going to do if he switched and whatever he did it was very decisive. He doesn't seem like the type of guy that's going to get beat by being unaware or not giving effort. Often during the game you would see him boxing a guy out when the shot went up. He seemed to do ok when he got switched onto a big.

Overall he looks like a guy that can shoot and probably play competent basketball. He will come in playing fewer minutes but mostly the same type of role as he did for his team the last couple years. Hopefully we found a pretty solid player. This game was confirming what I have learned before it.

Thanks for the thorough scouting report Monster. It seems like the guy can definitely hit open 3's and even fairly well contested ones. I don't think he's Klay Thompson or Kyle Korver in terms of his release (or even Zach LaVine for that matter), but there is no question you can't leave him alone out there. He can definitely help space the floor and hopefully play passable defense.

I'm terms of getting his shot off he isn't a guy that's gonna be just jacking up shots anywhere but he can catch the ball and let it go after moving without the ball. He can shoot off the dribble also. He is probably sort of in the neighborhood of Wayne Ellington before he really improved into a really versatile 3 point shooter. That's still pretty good and he has more length than Ellington also. I'll say this in this game and in other highlights he is hitting contested 3's and if people contest him like they did in Europe he will be shooting more FTs because they got under him plenty on those shots. In this game he got fouled on a 3 on the wing later in the game and the guy is basically automatic on the FT like which also bodes well for his shooting in general. It's a very easy shot and the shot looks the same every, single, time. About the only thing that is different is his lower body sometimes he will change that depending on the type of shot. It seems he took plenty of shots at or near the end of the shot clock which generally were contested.

Edit: I should also add that he looks very much like a guy that's very ready and willing to get up those shots. He moves to get in position and calls for the ball and keeps relocating etc. There was one sequence in this game where another player took a 3 that was somewhat contested when Nunnally was wide open an easy pass away waving his arms wide open. He didn't stand and pout he hustled down the floor off the long rebound blocked the shot attempt at the rim and when he brought the ball back up the floor he moved it quickly which led to an open player who nailed the shot (Nunnally was open again) and Nunnally was celebrating the play.

[Monster]

Good job on the report monster. You are 1 of the best posters here. Always active and you do a good job on your research and writeups. Solid and fair takes. Appreciate your posts.

Rrgarding Nunnaly, I like the signing but I will have my reservations on him until I see him play in an nba game. 3 and d is being used a lot these days to raise players value. I have no doubt he can shoot. His shooting numbers are elite no matter the level of play or league. His defense can only be judged when he is defending nba caliber players. Like all here, I hope he become a legit contributor off the bench and that we finally find a gem for once with the minimum money.

I agree with cool that the term 3 and D is overused. Part of that is a bit daming too because it's basically all you are good at Robert Covington or Danny Green are good examples and they are some of the cream of the crop of that category. Like you I'm staying somewhat skeptical of what he can do defensively until he arrives here and proves it. What I'm hoping for is a guy that competes and doesn't suck and does enough he doesn't make his teammates worse on that end. For the Wolves that might be a lot to ask but it's a fairly reasonable expectation though I think.

[Lipoli390]

I just watched a full game from this last season when Nunnally played quite a few minutes. It had some fun moments in general that made it worth my time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuKtPRtF1HE

Here are my thoughts.

First of all there are a number of players most basketball fans would recognize from playing in the NBA previously. Wanamaker a teammate of Nunnally was signed by the Celtics. If anyone is a bit curious about why they signed him he is a PG or combo guard that probably fits well in their heavy switching scheme. Supposedly other playoff teams were interesting in him. I'd guess he is the replacement for Shane Larkin. He should be able to improve on that.

Ok now to Nunnnally. I'll go with some negatives first. There were times he got blown by on defense. He isn't wildly quick so yeah some guys are going to get past him. He had some bad turnovers. A couple of these were when he tried to isolate and do something. A couple times he did too much. He wasn't alone they had over 20 TO's in this game. It was ugly at times.

Ok here is the encouraging stuff. The shot looks absolutely legit. When he is looking comfortable you are surprised if he misses. I think he had only one shot I remember that he was set and he missed. He moves without the ball and relocates. A couple times early in the game this actually led to TO's so his Wolves teammates need to know he isn't going to just stand around. I hope that keeps up we need someone like that.

Even though he had some turnovers he still looks to have enough skill that even at a higher level of basketball be will be able to handle the ball at times and move the ball along or attack closeouts etc. Against some 2nd units he might be able to create every once in a while. He isn't just strictly a 3 and D guy, but you don't want this guy going iso on people. Watching some highlights etc he does actually have a post game. He doesn't seem like a selfish player he seems very willing to make a pass etc.

Defensively he si very active and engaged. He is down in a stance sliding his feet and communicating. HE seems pretty good at chasing perimeter players that move without the ball. AS the game went on they started switching more. He looked like he was very clearly communicating what he was going to do if he switched and whatever he did it was very decisive. He doesn't seem like the type of guy that's going to get beat by being unaware or not giving effort. Often during the game you would see him boxing a guy out when the shot went up. He seemed to do ok when he got switched onto a big.

Overall he looks like a guy that can shoot and probably play competent basketball. He will come in playing fewer minutes but mostly the same type of role as he did for his team the last couple years. Hopefully we found a pretty solid player. This game was confirming what I have learned before it.

Great report, Monster!! I really appreciate it. Searching the web I couldn't find anything comparable to the analysis you provided. I generally get more out of your posts than I do from any player analysis in the larger sports media work. Thanks.

[Monster]

Thanks for all the kind words. I enjoy watching and getting a sense of various guys. It's a small sample but I do what I can.

A couple other things that might be worth mentioning about Nunnally. He renewed his vows with his wife late in July. It feels like things are set up for him to take a new step in his life. It's worth remembering he wanted to play in the NBA and turned down more money to do it. This guy is serious about basketball but he may also have thought about his family as he has 2 kids. He is betting on himself and even if he only gets 2 years of the vet min if he turns into a useful player he will turn 30 at the end of that contract...and at that point rotation players are going to get a nice pay day as there will be plenty of money with those 2016 summer contracts off team's books.

[Monster]

I have some issues with a couple aspects the author mentions about each player's game (but there was plenty of solid analysis as well) but I think the concept of the article is an interesting and worthwhile way to look at these signings.

https://zonecoverage.com/2018/timberwolves/james-nunnally-and-c-j-williams-more-thibs-guys-tom-thibodeau-timberwolves/

[Monster]

On his latest podcast Wolfson reported that Nunnally actually agreed to his deal back in July but was having his wedding and honeymoon etc so the deal wasn't known till after that. If that's true then...the Wolves were likely why he didn't do the deal to go back to Europe. It's also kinda impressive that this was kept under wraps for a few days.

Wolfson also reported that the Wolves had people in the organization that wanted to keep Amile Jefferson but there was no concensus or movement to do that so when Orlando offered the 2-way deal he jumped at it. I like Amile and wanted him here but the reality is there are a lot of talented big guys we could add at some point of varying skill sets and where their careers are it while being youngish. Look at our old buddy from 2017 summer league Matt Costello. Very good numbers and he started hitting 3's. Why didn't he play more for the Spurs G-league team? They had another center Amida Brimah that also was putting up some productive numbers. I'm happy for Amile he deserved another 2-way deal and I am happy we added CJ Williams (needed wing more than a big) on a 2-way deal for the Wolves.