Game Report - Wolves v. Wizards

[kekgeek]

Wiggins effort level was pretty good in this game I don't care what the stats say.

As for him running the offense thing...yeah it's not winning basketball right now but maybe Thibs is still trying to develop him to be able to attack at different times. I absolutely agree his handle has issues and he isn't strong enough with the ball yet but I think he actually has the BBIQ and enough vision if he can improve there. In addition if he actually beats the defense he is so good going to the rim not just straight line driving but can change direction. On a recent podcast someone was saying that's the difference between the guys that can just go at the rim and the elite players. Wiggins can change direction with the ball off the dribble once he actually gets going. It's navigating around players at the point of attack he struggles with. Why? Sometimes we forget he is a pretty tall long wing player. He isn't some little 6'4"-6'5" guy or whatever that's listed at 6'6". He is closer to being the length of a small ball PF than just a wing guy. How many guys are in the league with his length and athletic ability that can really handle the ball? I'm not saying these as excuses more of let's look at his physical advantages and also some challenges reasonably as well. I still think the guy can really make a jump as a player. These were some thoughts that came up while watching this game.

What would make a lot of people happy here is if he cut out those step inside the 3 point Line long 2's which he took a few of them tonight and I think he hit his first one. Post up from FT line extended or a pull up from that range? Ok probably not the best shot either but I can live with him doing those more so than the dreaded very long 2's.

Time is running out. The list of players who reach a certain level... and mostly plateau for FOUR seasons... and then make a significant leap is woefully short in NBA history.

Ya I think this is where most of the frustration is coming from. We could live with the losses the last 3 years because we had hope, potential and cap space.

Now I think wiggins has improved but not all star status. Kat is still very good but has major flaws. Used cap space on teague/taj/dieng who are all good players in the own right but not legit game changers.

So now we have moved from the young up and coming team to a good team but not great, young guys haven't taken elite championship caliber jumps, no cap space and the team is a grind to watch.

[kekgeek]

I know he gets ripped here but the results with Teague have been less than impressive in my eyes. Tyus has done nice things but is a back up, and I don't know what Brooks is. Primary ball handling is everything in this league. Plus Teague shooting the 3 would have helped a bunch tonight. This team's depth continues to be a major concern for me. My biggest dissapointment of the season is the money we're wasting on Gorgui. It's been really bad as the third highest paid player we've got to be getting more.

Ya, I was fine with the contract when gorgui signed it but now it looks terrible and that is not a shot at gorgui. He is going to be very hard to move. Who wants a 15 mil a year guy who I don't think you can play in closing minutes on a playoff team.

To think J. Green is getting 8 a year and Gorgui is at 15 is bad. Could have had CJ Miles and possibly gorgui at a 8 a year valuation if we didn't extend during the season.

I like it at the time but now we have a negative asset on the team where a young guy or a pick will have to be moved to move gorgui.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's a .500 team I'm telling you. You simply can't be losing to teams missing their best player at home.

- KAT's flopping around and complaining is backfiring. I actually agree he gets fouled and the officials are swallowing their whistle, but he over-dramatizes so much that it's hard to tell if he's really getting fouled hard or if he's just selling it. Zero free throws tonight for him. If he played the game more straight-up, he probably would have gotten a couple calls.

- Wiggins shot selection.....Ugh! So many difficult shots. I like that he took 5 3's, but not enough are going in for him this year. Sorry, but the guy is just an inefficient player that doesn't help his cause by settling for so many difficult shots. He should be cutting, running, driving, and spotting up. I also thought his defense was just so-so tonight. He got torched a couple times in key moments.

- Butler's a tough, hard working player, but damn he is methodical. He gets himself in a lot of binds with the shot clock winding down and it often leads to a difficult shot for him or someone else.

- I thought Jones was solid. Gotta keep hitting those 3's. Zero turnovers. The guy makes very few mistakes out there.

- Bazz....4 minutes and a -9. Classic Wolves move: Draft the wrong guy first and then watch him as he progressively becomes a worse player after multiple years. Thibs didn't even bother to play him in the 2nd half.

- The rest of the bench was unimpressive as well. We need more from Dieng.

Bad loss in my book. You can't be losing to Miami and Washington like this at home.

[Crazysauce]

So i actually went to this game tonight and will likely be the last i attend for a while.I really think our guys get sticky fingers at the end of the game. Besides tyus who played phenomenally i was upset with all of wiggins and butler and towns trying to win it by themself.

Towns especially had some critical mistakes at the end of the game trying to be the hero. He always goes full bore into the paint and throws up some off balance ridiculous shot or literally looks for nobody and just tries to back in until he eventually shoots whatever crappy shot he gets.

Our offense was run very nicely tonight by jones with exceptions when the ball wouldnt find his hand cuz one of our supposed stars had to get theirs.

On a positive there was a really nice defensive possession i think in the 3rd with all our guys rotating and helping and i almost fell out of my chair. Also i saw butler gamble on a steal he didnt get and tyus quickly came off his guy to get across the court and stop butlers man and then were able to switch back. Tyus is such a winner and just always makes the right decisions. That pass between the defenders legs to taj for a dunk in the last 2 minutes and his big 3 were an out the only good possessions we had at the end of the game and they both were created by him.

I think it would be nice to place Tyus in the starting lineup and let Teague come in with the bench so he can ball out against some backups and give our bench some much needed scoring. Our starting lineup needs a maestro, and Teague would be so good off the bench. I know Jones size is small but the guy is an absolute baller. I always feel like he is the smartest guy on the court.

That said disappointing loss yet again. Thibs needs to see the error in his ways. I mean how can he not see whats happening. Every fourth quarter to finish the game is a battle to just stay afloat. There is no killer instinct as our guys just dont have there legs after playing most the game. Hate watching same show every game. At least the Gophers are an absolute joy to watch and will be playing tomorrow night.

[Lipoli390]

Wiggins effort level was pretty good in this game I don't care what the stats say.

As for him running the offense thing...yeah it's not winning basketball right now but maybe Thibs is still trying to develop him to be able to attack at different times. I absolutely agree his handle has issues and he isn't strong enough with the ball yet but I think he actually has the BBIQ and enough vision if he can improve there. In addition if he actually beats the defense he is so good going to the rim not just straight line driving but can change direction. On a recent podcast someone was saying that's the difference between the guys that can just go at the rim and the elite players. Wiggins can change direction with the ball off the dribble once he actually gets going. It's navigating around players at the point of attack he struggles with. Why? Sometimes we forget he is a pretty tall long wing player. He isn't some little 6'4"-6'5" guy or whatever that's listed at 6'6". He is closer to being the length of a small ball PF than just a wing guy. How many guys are in the league with his length and athletic ability that can really handle the ball? I'm not saying these as excuses more of let's look at his physical advantages and also some challenges reasonably as well. I still think the guy can really make a jump as a player. These were some thoughts that came up while watching this game.

What would make a lot of people happy here is if he cut out those step inside the 3 point Line long 2's which he took a few of them tonight and I think he hit his first one. Post up from FT line extended or a pull up from that range? Ok probably not the best shot either but I can live with him doing those more so than the dreaded very long 2's.

Monster -- There are a number of NBA players as big or bigger than Wiggins who handle the ball MUCH better -- LeBron, Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, Giannis. I'm not dumping on Wiggins. I'm just acknowledging his weaknesses. As one of his glaring weaknesses, he's a terrible ballhandler for an NBA wing. After 3 NBA seasons, that's not going to change. If Thibs is dumb enough to keep hurting his team in the hope that Wiggins will become more he is that's no better than actually thinking Wiggins has already become that type of player. Yes, Wiggins effort seems better this season. His shooting looks better, but his percentage is no better and he continues to take terrible shots. And 2 rebounds?! Little Tyus had 4 rebounds.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I think you are giving Kat too much of a free pass.

It looks like Butler isn't thrilled right now with Kat's attitude and constant whining on the court.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Appreciate the game reports as always lip.

The offense is not fun to watch. Every play seems to start at the top of the key in the middle. Whether it's butler, tyus, wig or teague. They always have the ball at the top with thibs yelling 'take him' as he is encouraging iso ball. We run little side to side action. We dont let the bigs initiate the offense like a lot of teams do now with the guards and wings cutting around them. Everything seems to be iso in the middle.

The rotation needs to be fixed as well. Right now, bazz and brooks are unplayable. Cole cant play with dieng and I have no idea what mgh can actually do. Thibs needs to mix 2 starters with the bench guys at all times. Golden state have 2 starters on the floor at all times and they dont play them ton of minutes. They play them 6-7 mins and rest them 3-4min and put them back again. Klay and durant usually have 2 rests at each half and they are fresh to end the 3rd and 4th quarter strong. Thibs only give his starters 5-6minutes rest each half depending on the situation and they are tired in the 4th.

Some very good observations here, world...it's amazing that you can see our issues with such clarity from 5000 miles away, and Thibs can't see what is right in front of him. I haven't thought about Thibs' constant "take him" mantra, but it shows us how he sees the game...his idea of a great offense seems to be beating your man one-on-one, not moving the ball, and his team responds accordingly.

Lip, I couldn't agree with your description of this game any more: intense and entertaining, and ultimately frustrating. I don't feel good about this loss, but it was mostly fun to watch...our guys played hard.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

I'll give thibs a pass on minutes last night, but with 8 or 9 rotation guys healthy, nobody should be over 35. And taj and Teague less with capable Tyus and dieing to replace them.

Wiggy should be doing 3s, cuts, or spin moves getting to the line and that's it. Butler can post up and dribble better, like Kobe can, but not Wig.

[Lipoli390]

I think you are giving Kat too much of a free pass.

It looks like Butler isn't thrilled right now with Kat's attitude and constant whining on the court.

I'm not giving KAT a free pass. And I really don't care whether Butler likes or doesn't like KAT's attitude. KAT is one of the few players on this team who competes his ass off nearly all the time, fighting for position down low, battling for every single rebound, getting knocked around constantly. Butler of all people should appreciate that attitude in contrast to some of our perimeter players. Last night and the last few games, KAT has played much better defensively. He actually played really well defensively until late in the 4th last night. But that's true of all our players, including Butler. They all seemed gassed by that time.

But honestly, the issue isn't our players. Yes, they all make their share mistakes and do dumb things. And they all have bad games or bad moments as well as good ones. Our main problem is our head coach. And when you're head coach doesn't put your players in the best position to succeed, they get really frustrated and often turn on each other. By the way, nobody whines on the court more than Thibs. He complains about every single call and every single play that doesn't go the Wolves way. He's like an obnoxios fan standing on the court screaming and complaining while also barking orders on every single possession. You look at Thibs face and body language and it's negative and downright depressing -- ALL THE TIME. My wife says, his demeanor alone sucks the life out of the room.

If we're going to hold a player responsible for last night, it should probably be Wiggins, who went 5-15 from the field and 1-5 from behind the arc while getting only 2 rebounds and no steals. And it wasn't the Wizards' bigs who feasted offensively. But again, our struggles last night and this season overall come down primarily our head coach in my view. Yet, we shouldn't be surprised after watching last year's more seasoned young squad finish with essentially the same record they ended up with under Mitchell.