Game Report - Wolves v. Raptors

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I guess I kind of over-emphasize 3-point shooting because it is such a weakness for this squad....but defense isn't great either, so yeah, if he can be a Thabo-quality wing (a guy I was hoping we'd get this offseason!), that would be pretty awesome.

I do love the defensive stance he gets into and how rock-solid he's built. You can see how he could really evolve into a great wing defender at some point....but it would be nice if he could hit 3's too. That would be so huge for us to have a true 3&D wing come off the bench.

[Monster]

I guess I kind of over-emphasize 3-point shooting because it is such a weakness for this squad....but defense isn't great either, so yeah, if he can be a Thabo-quality wing (a guy I was hoping we'd get this offseason!), that would be pretty awesome.

I do love the defensive stance he gets into and how rock-solid he's built. You can see how he could really evolve into a great wing defender at some point....but it would be nice if he could hit 3's too. That would be so huge for us to have a true 3&D wing come off the bench.

Agreed Q.

What makes MGH intruiging to me is that he looks to have ball handling abilities to at times make plays for himself and others and especially looks like he can attack around the rim and finish. That's a bit more than the 3 and D type which is good because we don't know about the 3 part. Thibs has already said he has the D down so...well that's probably not a small compliment.

Fun stat about Thabo...someone tweeted out a couple weeks ago his 8.2 ppg this year would be a career high for a season. The reality is saying he is a 3 and D guy is sorta true but he isn't really that good of a 3 point shooter and doesn't score much. I'll take him on my team though for a lot of the reasons you mention you like MGH for but yeah.

I'm starting to see Wiggins as a guy that could be utilized well as a small ball PF but right now that's tough to do because:

1. The Wolves have bigs that need to play minutes and are generally worthy of getting them. I mean Belly is playing the 3 effectively and he has to play there just to get minutes.

2. The Wolves don't have depth at the wing.

To get Wiggins in that role we need another wing that can play. People have suggested Bazemore as a trade target to play some creative lineups. I like the idea of having a guy like that. If the Wolves had another versatile wing to play with Butler and Wiggins plus a PG that could be really interesting. MGH MIGHT even have enough skills to be a guy you can play at the PG spot defensively for some possessions with Butler handling the ball.

Yeah it's a leap of faith to hope MGH is gonna be the next Bazemore or Jonathon Simmons or some other undrafted low 2nd round pick guy that turns into a legit rotation wing player. However it's not unpresidented. It would be nice if MGH turned I to that type of guy and Anthony Brown turned into something like CJ Miles. Yep I'm dreaming but the good franchises find guys and get something out of them and part of that is developing them. I say it over and over but we need to be that type of team. I'd like to see MGH show a bit more of what he can do this season. MGH made a decision to sign hear because he thought he had a good chance of making a roster and he liked the idea of being here with Thibs and Butler. For a guy that was wanted by some teams but on the fringes his decision is looking pretty good.

[Lipoli390]

All the love for MGH is deserved and I really hope he is one of these diamond in the rough guys this franchise seems to NEVER discover or develop, but he needs to knock down that 3-ball. It's so, so important that our complimentary guiys (Bjelly, Tyus, MGH, etc.) hit that open 3.

When the playoffs come, we can't expect to just steam roll everyone with free throw differential. It's not a bad thing to go to the line a lot, but the whistles will be harder to come by in the playoffs. We need to hit shots too....

Q - I don't think MGH is going to become a reliable three-point shooter. He was a career 33% three-point shooter in college and shot only 34.2% from behind the arc as a 4th year senior. I like his defense. That's obviously his calling card at the NBA level. He's strong and I like his ball-handling and slashing ability. He's better at that than I thought he'd be, but we shouldn't be surprised because he excelled as a slasher in college. Nothing in his past suggests he'll become a reliable 3-point shooter and become a true 3-and-D guy. Maybe he can be a Thabo-quality wing -- hitting 34-35% of his three point attempts, scoring in the paint and playing stellar defense. That would be great, but I think that's his ceiling.

What about 39% from 3 last year in the D-league and over 88% from the FT line?

I like both the 88% free throw percentage a lot, although as we saw with Ricky that doesn't transfer readily to predicting three-point shooting. As for his G-League three-point percentage, it doesn't trump his 4-year college stats in my view. But it does provide a glimmer of hope.

I haven't looked very closely, but it seems that players have better stats in the G-League than they did in college. Amile Jefferson is one example. But my sample size and analysis is pretty limited to say the least. :)

[Duke13]

That last play I don't think KAT actually realized it was Wigs next to him, and then he saw it was a teammate and they shared a laugh. Wigs put his hands up like, "hey, same team, bro" and Towns just grinned.

He knew it was his teammates. He does this twice a game. Nothing new unfortunately

[Coolbreeze44]

That last play I don't think KAT actually realized it was Wigs next to him, and then he saw it was a teammate and they shared a laugh. Wigs put his hands up like, "hey, same team, bro" and Towns just grinned.

He knew it was his teammates. He does this twice a game. Nothing new unfortunately

Agreed. He needed that board for his double double. It's not the first time as you said.

[Lipoli390]

That last play I don't think KAT actually realized it was Wigs next to him, and then he saw it was a teammate and they shared a laugh. Wigs put his hands up like, "hey, same team, bro" and Towns just grinned.

He knew it was his teammates. He does this twice a game. Nothing new unfortunately

Agreed. He needed that board for his double double. It's not the first time as you said.

You could be right. But Wiggins had a laugh and so did KAT. So It's not on my list of concerns. I worry more about players who don't attack the boards than I do about players who do regardless of the player's personal motivations. My worry about KAT was his earlier tendency to shoot highly contested shots when double-teamed rather that pass. I don't know if he was trying to pad his scoring stats or just thought it was the best chance of getting the team a bucket. It doesnt' matter not because he's improved that part of his game substantially. I'm glad he's now consistently passing out of those double teams and, in Thibs words, making the right play.

I wonder if Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant or even Larry Bird ever took shots to pad their scoring stats? How about Larry Bird shooting with his left hand just to make a point to the other team. Selfish? Hmm. How about KG grabbing every defensive rebound in his vicinity? I recall him taking the ball out of teammates hands.

I actually wish Wiggins had ripped the ball away from KAT the other night, denying KAT his double-double. That would have been fun to see. :)

[Big O [enjin:13874644]]

I actually wish Wiggins had ripped the ball away from KAT the other night, denying KAT his double-double. That would have been fun to see. :)

Yes, that would be the drive and intensity I want to see from Wiggins on every play!

[worldK]

Did kat steal a rebound from wiggins? I believe so but I dont think its a big deal or a deal at all. Kat is our best rebounder, one of the best in the league at that. Anyone who watches him play can see that he really fight for those boards and hustle his ass off. If i was wiggins, Il let him have it too. He earned it because of the effort he puts in at that. Dont see it as being selfish or anything.

Okc let westbrook have the rebounds because they want to help their best player in averaging a tripple double. No big deal. If it was a close game then I would want to see wiggins really fight for those but clearly bothe were aware of each other and andrew lets towns have it.

[Duke13]

That last play I don't think KAT actually realized it was Wigs next to him, and then he saw it was a teammate and they shared a laugh. Wigs put his hands up like, "hey, same team, bro" and Towns just grinned.

He knew it was his teammates. He does this twice a game. Nothing new unfortunately

Agreed. He needed that board for his double double. It's not the first time as you said.

You could be right. But Wiggins had a laugh and so did KAT. So It's not on my list of concerns. I worry more about players who don't attack the boards than I do about players who do regardless of the player's personal motivations. My worry about KAT was his earlier tendency to shoot highly contested shots when double-teamed rather that pass. I don't know if he was trying to pad his scoring stats or just thought it was the best chance of getting the team a bucket. It doesnt' matter not because he's improved that part of his game substantially. I'm glad he's now consistently passing out of those double teams and, in Thibs words, making the right play.

I wonder if Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant or even Larry Bird ever took shots to pad their scoring stats? How about Larry Bird shooting with his left hand just to make a point to the other team. Selfish? Hmm. How about KG grabbing every defensive rebound in his vicinity? I recall him taking the ball out of teammates hands.

I actually wish Wiggins had ripped the ball away from KAT the other night, denying KAT his double-double. That would have been fun to see. :)

I'm not overly concerned by any means. It's more annoying then anything, because it's noticeable during games. But overall no question Kats game is growing. And yes I'd rather have him completely then opposite and not competitive.