CoolBreeze44 wrote:There is quite a bit of merit in what LST is presenting here. The bench is short and not used very much. The starters usually get off to a good start and then wear down as the game moves into the 2nd half. I don't think it's a problem for your star players to get 36 minutes most nights, but it has a cumulative effect. Our stars play too much when the game is out of reach one way or the other, or when they aren't playing well. KAT has decent stamina but Wiggins does not, at least not at this stage of his development. He's running on fumes out there right now. Both guys need to work on endurance training this offseason. It's probably the biggest single improvement Andrew can make. If it were my team, I'd rarely have Wig play stints longer than 6 minutes until his stamina improves. Play 6, sit 4, play 6, sit 4, play the last 6 minutes of each half. I think you would see a lot more consistent energy that way.
I know I'm hyper-focused on this topic, but it's impossible to ignore the correlation between the extraordinary number of 2nd half collapses and Thibs' inadequate use of his bench. Conversely, on the rare occasions when he goes to his bench more or almost as much as his opposing coach, the Wolves win more often than not...it's very easy to chart.
I actually think there are three reasons this team seems so much more tired than its opponent late in games, as evidenced by tired legs on jump shots and lazy, grabbing defense.
1) While playing your starters 38 minutes vs. an opponents' 34 minutes might not sound significant, those few minutes of less rest on the bench can be vital to end of game performance. I just got back from a boys' ski trip, and talked a lot with a guy on the trip who, like me, played college basketball...albeit at a much higher level than me. (Off topic: our host for this annual trip is a member of the Wolves' ownership group, and we got some interesting insights into current thinking. I can't share them with you, but they are largely positive, and in especially one area a change in philosophy that may be good for the prospect of keeping all our young stars). He and I agreed about the concept of in-game rest. Sometimes we would be a little pissed when the coach took us out (unless we were totally gassed) but after awhile we appreciated the chance to recharge. And there was clearly a right amount of time on the bench we needed to come back at peak performance, and if the coach shortchanged that, it often limited our success. Thibs is a big outlier when it comes to how much time he allows his starters to rest per sitting, and that shortfall in rest minutes is quite evident in a negative way at crunch time.
2) Michael Rand writes in today's Strib that both KAT and Wig will play more than 3000 minutes this year. He points out that wasn't unusual in Jordan's day, but it is today. KAT, Wig and Zach will all rank in the top 5 this year in MPG, more proof of Thibs' outlier status.
3) I have no evidence that Thibs is continuing what he did in Chicago by having strenuous in-season practices, even on the day before games...but I also have no evidence that he has changed, and we know Joachim Noah for one has commented on this. If he is continuing to work his players hard on their off days, that could also be a factor in how ineffective they have been in second halves.
I've said it before and I will say it again. Other than the impact of potential devastating injuries, I see Thibs' poor rotations and exhausting coaching style as the biggest barrier to this very talented team reaching its enormous ceiling. I want to be optimistic given the superstar talent on this team and Thibs' obvious defensive coaching acumen, but I fear he is too dense and stubborn to adjust the coaching style he has always used...and that reduces my optimism considerably.
