Ant is going to work, what should he improve on?

[DNatagal]

I wish Ant could learn how to backcut like Clark. 2 easy dunks a game would really help Ant's efficiency. And would open up the backstreen for easy corner 3s.

If Ant could learn how to set a screen like Curry, another part of the offense can open up as well.

[Q-is-here]

So if Ant follows through on everything folks want him to do on here, he'll probably win the MVP for the next five years and make people forget who Michael Jordan is!

We continue to project onto Ant each of our own wishes and biases as to what an ideal basketball player must be able to do. For me it's perfecting the mid range game, for others it's becoming a foul grifter, for others it's being in elite condition, for others it's moving and cutting without the ball, for others it's a great floater game, etc. etc.

It is crazy that in a single offseason he went from a good 3-point shooter to an almost Curry-esque level, so I guess we shouldn't put anything past him. But he's starting to reach that NBA experience level of 5+ years (which I look at just as much as age) where improvement gets harder to come by. I'm hopeful that he improves somewhat in one or may be two of the various things folks listed here. But I doubt we'll get Jordan 2.0 next season.

[rapsuperstar31]

So if Ant follows through on everything folks want him to do on here, he'll probably win the MVP for the next five years and make people forget who Michael Jordan is!

We continue to project onto Ant each of our own wishes and biases as to what an ideal basketball player must be able to do. For me it's perfecting the mid range game, for others it's becoming a foul grifter, for others it's being in elite condition, for others it's moving and cutting without the ball, for others it's a great floater game, etc. etc.

It is crazy that in a single offseason he went from a good 3-point shooter to an almost Curry-esque level, so I guess we shouldn't put anything past him. But he's starting to reach that NBA experience level of 5+ years (which I look at just as much as age) where improvement gets harder to come by. I'm hopeful that he improves somewhat in one or may be two of the various things folks listed here. But I doubt we'll get Jordan 2.0 next season.

Ha that's true, lets hope he has a least one more good leap in him. SGA at 23 put up 24.5 pts shooting 45.3% 30% from three and taking 7.2 free throws per game. At 24 he jumped up to 31.4 points, on 51% and 34.5% from three while getting to the line a career best 10.9 times.

[KG4Ever]

1. Midrange scoring
2. Offball movement ala Curry
3. Conditioning and endurance, he should be able to play more minutes in the playoffs
4. Passing and Ball Control.
5. Keep his dick in his pants and stop fathering so many kids with different mothers.

[AussieWolf3]

So if Ant follows through on everything folks want him to do on here, he'll probably win the MVP for the next five years and make people forget who Michael Jordan is!

We continue to project onto Ant each of our own wishes and biases as to what an ideal basketball player must be able to do. For me it's perfecting the mid range game, for others it's becoming a foul grifter, for others it's being in elite condition, for others it's moving and cutting without the ball, for others it's a great floater game, etc. etc.

It is crazy that in a single offseason he went from a good 3-point shooter to an almost Curry-esque level, so I guess we shouldn't put anything past him. But he's starting to reach that NBA experience level of 5+ years (which I look at just as much as age) where improvement gets harder to come by. I'm hopeful that he improves somewhat in one or may be two of the various things folks listed here. But I doubt we'll get Jordan 2.0 next season.

It's funny you say this Q cause I myself thought of it while putting together my answer.

I think it's worth saying that the framework of the question IS what do we think Ant should work on to maximize his potential/upside and well... his upside is Jordan 2.0. Not saying he'll get there, and honestly Jordan in 2025 has a different impact on the league then Jordan in 1992.

Anyway, I've given this question some more thought and I guess my question is how can Ant learn to better leverage his extraordinary gifts to shift the opposition and better contribute to team success?
First, is something that Ant has little control of and that is having an offensive running mate who can alleviate his burden on that end of the floor, so he can be more of a factor on defense. Ant has not been able to give the Wolves enough has a defender and that just feels like such a waste.

Second, and here's my real question- can Ant better integrate his 3 point shooting into the flow of the offense?

I don't think enough has been said about how insane of season Ant had as a 3 point shooter. Not only did he shoot 39% on 10 attempts a game, he shot 38% on ~7 pull 3s a game. That is bonkers, everyone else around him in percentage was shooting less that 1 attempt a game. The closest in terms of volume was Haliburton at ~5 and he had a lower shooting percentage.

*I'm honestly pretty concerned about how repeatable this level of shooting is, but I digress*

A lot has been said about how Ant spent the season chucking three's, and it was out of flow and bad shot, etc. I don't know ball well enough to dispute that but I do know that 38% 3 point shooting is good offense, and forcing defenders to not only respect but fear that kind of range is pretty potent when you are as deadly as Ant is downhill.

So all of this is to say, Ant has developed his skillset into a pretty singular package, but it was also one that I'm not sure provided all of the externalities it is capable of.

I don't really have an answer here, but I do think this could be the skeleton key of unlocking more out of Ants game- keep sharpening the 3 point shot, hopefully get better at finishing at the rim, and find a way to threaten the defense with PASSING from the perimeter and more controlled drives (stay on two feets as much as possible, change pace, etc).

This is all overly theoretical tbh, but I can't stop puzzling it out in my head.

[Q-is-here]

So if Ant follows through on everything folks want him to do on here, he'll probably win the MVP for the next five years and make people forget who Michael Jordan is!

We continue to project onto Ant each of our own wishes and biases as to what an ideal basketball player must be able to do. For me it's perfecting the mid range game, for others it's becoming a foul grifter, for others it's being in elite condition, for others it's moving and cutting without the ball, for others it's a great floater game, etc. etc.

It is crazy that in a single offseason he went from a good 3-point shooter to an almost Curry-esque level, so I guess we shouldn't put anything past him. But he's starting to reach that NBA experience level of 5+ years (which I look at just as much as age) where improvement gets harder to come by. I'm hopeful that he improves somewhat in one or may be two of the various things folks listed here. But I doubt we'll get Jordan 2.0 next season.

It's funny you say this Q cause I myself thought of it while putting together my answer.

I think it's worth saying that the framework of the question IS what do we think Ant should work on to maximize his potential/upside and well... his upside is Jordan 2.0. Not saying he'll get there, and honestly Jordan in 2025 has a different impact on the league then Jordan in 1992.

Anyway, I've given this question some more thought and I guess my question is how can Ant learn to better leverage his extraordinary gifts to shift the opposition and better contribute to team success?
First, is something that Ant has little control of and that is having an offensive running mate who can alleviate his burden on that end of the floor, so he can be more of a factor on defense. Ant has not been able to give the Wolves enough has a defender and that just feels like such a waste.

Second, and here's my real question- can Ant better integrate his 3 point shooting into the flow of the offense?

I don't think enough has been said about how insane of season Ant had as a 3 point shooter. Not only did he shoot 39% on 10 attempts a game, he shot 38% on ~7 pull 3s a game. That is bonkers, everyone else around him in percentage was shooting less that 1 attempt a game. The closest in terms of volume was Haliburton at ~5 and he had a lower shooting percentage.

*I'm honestly pretty concerned about how repeatable this level of shooting is, but I digress*

A lot has been said about how Ant spent the season chucking three's, and it was out of flow and bad shot, etc. I don't know ball well enough to dispute that but I do know that 38% 3 point shooting is good offense, and forcing defenders to not only respect but fear that kind of range is pretty potent when you are as deadly as Ant is downhill.

So all of this is to say, Ant has developed his skillset into a pretty singular package, but it was also one that I'm not sure provided all of the externalities it is capable of.

I don't really have an answer here, but I do think this could be the skeleton key of unlocking more out of Ants game- keep sharpening the 3 point shot, hopefully get better at finishing at the rim, and find a way to threaten the defense with PASSING from the perimeter and more controlled drives (stay on two feets as much as possible, change pace, etc).

This is all overly theoretical tbh, but I can't stop puzzling it out in my head.

As I've mentioned before, the common theme that I hear when pundits outside our media landscape talk about Ant taking the next step is they all say he needs help in the form of another creator. And it's meant to help in two ways: 1) he can spend more time being an off-ball weapon using his shooting and athleticism, which gets to your point of him getting more assisted catch-and-shoot 3's, which he's really good at, and 2) he can spend more energy on defense and becoming a better two-way player.

Now a "creator" can come in many forms, but to me it's someone that can create good looks for himself and/or others with the ball in his hands. Julius Randle was actually pretty damn good at this from April through the 2nd round of the playoffs. But then he fell apart against OKC's swarming defense and Ant didn't look all that great either.

[shrink]

Mostly agree with you guys:

#1 - The thing he can copy from SGA more than the foul grifting is the mid-range pull up jumper. He has all the tools in the world to get this shot off cleanly on most defenders and he's proven that he can really improve his shooting from various distances when he puts the work in.

(As an aside, I don't really see Ant needing to develop a floater. When he gets to the area where most players use a floater is when he needs to attack the rim aggressively and try to draw fouls and/or convert the bucket. The floater is mostly a shot for smaller guards or those lacking Ant's athleticism and strength).

#2 - Drawing fouls, although I don't think he has to use the same theatrics SGA uses, with the constant falling to the floor after contact or exaggerated head-snaps. In fact, the guy he could learn from is TJ Shannon. He just invites the contact and has the strength to still get his shot off whether a foul is called or not. Ant is so damn good with either hand and his footwork around the basket that he often avoids contact that lesser players simply can't navigate around.

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If this were three months ago, I would have said reducing his turnovers was the #1 thing, but he really cleaned that up as the season went on. From the all star break all the way through the playoffs he was just above a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. That is by no means elite for a high usage player with the ball in his hands a lot, but it's no longer below average either, as he's in the same ballpark as Jayson Tatum.

I think the floater skill opens up the lob dunk skill, that is my only reason to have that in his arsenal. Assuming Rudy is here, probably a 95% chance, then his assists to Rudy could simply open up finishing options for him also. See if the big has to guard the lob, then he can't even contest a driving dunk or layup very easily. It just opens everything up when you have all the weapons.

Like how Luka picks people apart in the lane. It'd be nice to have, with the ability to rock the rim too. Become a monster.

I agree. Ant should focus on his floater, and become an expert at throwing the lob to Rudy. He has the right teacher there in Mike Conley. If Ant can run an effective pick-and-roll, he’ll suddenly be able to take advantage of Gobert’s massive screens, and he’ll also have more room getting to the basket, when defenders can no longer abandon defending Rudy, knowing Ant can’t/won’t throw that lob.

Simply mastering the pick-and-roll would take Ant, and the team, to a whole new level.

[Wolvesfan21]

Mostly agree with you guys:

#1 - The thing he can copy from SGA more than the foul grifting is the mid-range pull up jumper. He has all the tools in the world to get this shot off cleanly on most defenders and he's proven that he can really improve his shooting from various distances when he puts the work in.

(As an aside, I don't really see Ant needing to develop a floater. When he gets to the area where most players use a floater is when he needs to attack the rim aggressively and try to draw fouls and/or convert the bucket. The floater is mostly a shot for smaller guards or those lacking Ant's athleticism and strength).

#2 - Drawing fouls, although I don't think he has to use the same theatrics SGA uses, with the constant falling to the floor after contact or exaggerated head-snaps. In fact, the guy he could learn from is TJ Shannon. He just invites the contact and has the strength to still get his shot off whether a foul is called or not. Ant is so damn good with either hand and his footwork around the basket that he often avoids contact that lesser players simply can't navigate around.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If this were three months ago, I would have said reducing his turnovers was the #1 thing, but he really cleaned that up as the season went on. From the all star break all the way through the playoffs he was just above a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. That is by no means elite for a high usage player with the ball in his hands a lot, but it's no longer below average either, as he's in the same ballpark as Jayson Tatum.

I think the floater skill opens up the lob dunk skill, that is my only reason to have that in his arsenal. Assuming Rudy is here, probably a 95% chance, then his assists to Rudy could simply open up finishing options for him also. See if the big has to guard the lob, then he can't even contest a driving dunk or layup very easily. It just opens everything up when you have all the weapons.

Like how Luka picks people apart in the lane. It'd be nice to have, with the ability to rock the rim too. Become a monster.

I agree. Ant should focus on his floater, and become an expert at throwing the lob to Rudy. He has the right teacher there in Mike Conley. If Ant can run an effective pick-and-roll, he’ll suddenly be able to take advantage of Gobert’s massive screens, and he’ll also have more room getting to the basket, when defenders can no longer abandon defending Rudy, knowing Ant can’t/won’t throw that lob.

Simply mastering the pick-and-roll would take Ant, and the team, to a whole new level.

Finally someone sees the light!!! He arguably should be better at it by now, but he also did become an elite 3P shooter this last season so, probably too much to ask to become a monster overnight at every skill.

It's also a skill that will translate no matter who is at the 4/5, so you can't just hope that Rudy eventually leaves and things are opened up. That's why Ant has the most clogged lanes, he doesn't make teams pay by making the more "simple" play enough.

If he has floater touch which is identical with lob touch and now defenses are really fucked.

[Q-is-here]

I think the floater skill opens up the lob dunk skill, that is my only reason to have that in his arsenal. Assuming Rudy is here, probably a 95% chance, then his assists to Rudy could simply open up finishing options for him also. See if the big has to guard the lob, then he can't even contest a driving dunk or layup very easily. It just opens everything up when you have all the weapons.

Like how Luka picks people apart in the lane. It'd be nice to have, with the ability to rock the rim too. Become a monster.

I agree. Ant should focus on his floater, and become an expert at throwing the lob to Rudy. He has the right teacher there in Mike Conley. If Ant can run an effective pick-and-roll, he’ll suddenly be able to take advantage of Gobert’s massive screens, and he’ll also have more room getting to the basket, when defenders can no longer abandon defending Rudy, knowing Ant can’t/won’t throw that lob.

Simply mastering the pick-and-roll would take Ant, and the team, to a whole new level.

Finally someone sees the light!!! He arguably should be better at it by now, but he also did become an elite 3P shooter this last season so, probably too much to ask to become a monster overnight at every skill.

It's also a skill that will translate no matter who is at the 4/5, so you can't just hope that Rudy eventually leaves and things are opened up. That's why Ant has the most clogged lanes, he doesn't make teams pay by making the more "simple" play enough.

If he has floater touch which is identical with lob touch and now defenses are really fucked.

I honestly can't think of any wing player of Ant's size, strength, and athleticism that has developed a floater game. Seems like another one of those things we wish-cast onto Ant along with: improving his mid-range jumper, developing a post up game, learning how to constantly move without the ball, getting into elite condition, becoming smarter, becoming a better passer, running the floor harder on fast breaks, concentrating more on defense, whining less to officials, foul-baiting more, better diet habits, better sleep habits, less carousing with the women.....(I need to catch my breath now).

[Wolvesfan21]

I agree. Ant should focus on his floater, and become an expert at throwing the lob to Rudy. He has the right teacher there in Mike Conley. If Ant can run an effective pick-and-roll, he’ll suddenly be able to take advantage of Gobert’s massive screens, and he’ll also have more room getting to the basket, when defenders can no longer abandon defending Rudy, knowing Ant can’t/won’t throw that lob.

Simply mastering the pick-and-roll would take Ant, and the team, to a whole new level.

Finally someone sees the light!!! He arguably should be better at it by now, but he also did become an elite 3P shooter this last season so, probably too much to ask to become a monster overnight at every skill.

It's also a skill that will translate no matter who is at the 4/5, so you can't just hope that Rudy eventually leaves and things are opened up. That's why Ant has the most clogged lanes, he doesn't make teams pay by making the more "simple" play enough.

If he has floater touch which is identical with lob touch and now defenses are really fucked.

I honestly can't think of any wing player of Ant's size, strength, and athleticism that has developed a floater game. Seems like another one of those things we wish-cast onto Ant along with: improving his mid-range jumper, developing a post up game, learning how to constantly move without the ball, getting into elite condition, becoming smarter, becoming a better passer, running the floor harder on fast breaks, concentrating more on defense, whining less to officials, foul-baiting more, better diet habits, better sleep habits, less carousing with the women.....(I need to catch my breath now).

So true with regards to your list, Wade was a bit smaller but had nice touch.

The main reason I say floater is that it helps 3 things.

1.) Assists to 4/5's
2.) Scoring for Ant with the floater
3.) Keeps bigs guarding their man longer, opening up easy layups and dunks

So it has a multiplying effect on the drives.

I was listening to some older school NBA players and it seems the majority say post game. I'm not sure about that myself. I worry the post game itself is pretty dead. Passes into the post can often get stolen, then after that are you really getting a great shot? Not really on either.

I'm more thinking of ways he can add skills to his already great skillset. I agree with you guys on mids, but I'm sticking to floater also.