Minnesota Sports Forum

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 31, 2025 7:04 am

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 10:56 pm Just watched the second half again. A few take-aways:

1. We got back within striking range with an 11-2 run at the end of the third quarter when Dilly and then Bones were running the point. That’s encouraging, especially when you consider that Dilly is early in his development both physically and skill wise.

2. Mike Conley was terrific on both ends in our late 4th quarter run to take the lead. That’s encouraging for two reasons. First, it shows he has some game left in short spurts. Second, it’s a reminder that a small PG with developed skills and a more developed physique can be effective both offensively and defensively in the NBA — again a reminder that dismissing Dilly at this juncture doesn’t make sense.

3. Donte brings great energy and effort to the court.

4. Jaden was tremendous in this stretch.

5. Our most experienced, smartest vets made some terrible mistakes in this stretch. Mike Conley passed the ball to a player in the backcourt, which was an obvious back court violation. That’s an inexcusable mistake for any player, especially a veteran. If Dilly or Shannon had made that mistake Finch would have sat them on the bench immediately. Donte committed an incredibly dumb, blatant offensive foul shoving a defender with his right arm but getting absolutely no advantage. Again, if Dilly or Shannon had made that mistake, Finch would have yanked them. And of course, there was Rudy’s defensive blunder on the last player of the game. Bottom line is that our inexperienced young players are being yanked and punished for making mistakes you’d expect from young inexperienced players. Meanwhile, our experienced vets get a pass on mistakes they absolutely should not be making. We wonder why Minott is thriving in Boston. There’s no magic to it - no special coaching tactics. It’s a simple matter of giving Minott time to play and allowing him to play through his mistakes. We’re the third worst defensive team in the NBA with Dilly and Shannon (especially Dilly) getting almost no playing time. How much worse can we be with Dilly and Shannon playing a lot more? And at least playing them can pay dividends down the road by facilitating the development of their games. You can’t say the same about the older vets.

Nice points. On Dilly, I'm not as optimistic he's going to be borderline all star as I use to be, expectations and all. I just was hoping he was further along then he is, given last year and all summer to make progress. I guess he's in a fine spot considering age still. Still, he's going to have to be great on offense because I think he's probably always going to be a negative on defense. Can his potential positive offense overtake the negative and by how much is the question in my mind.

It's just so hard being patient with young players. I bet for coaches it's even harder. You just got to see that 1% growth here and there and let it add up over the long haul.

Also Minott is my dude I said would come back strong this season (after Finch refused to play him anymore last year). He just needed a little more marinating.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 31, 2025 9:50 pm

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 31, 2025 7:04 am

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 10:56 pm Just watched the second half again. A few take-aways:

1. We got back within striking range with an 11-2 run at the end of the third quarter when Dilly and then Bones were running the point. That’s encouraging, especially when you consider that Dilly is early in his development both physically and skill wise.

2. Mike Conley was terrific on both ends in our late 4th quarter run to take the lead. That’s encouraging for two reasons. First, it shows he has some game left in short spurts. Second, it’s a reminder that a small PG with developed skills and a more developed physique can be effective both offensively and defensively in the NBA — again a reminder that dismissing Dilly at this juncture doesn’t make sense.

3. Donte brings great energy and effort to the court.

4. Jaden was tremendous in this stretch.

5. Our most experienced, smartest vets made some terrible mistakes in this stretch. Mike Conley passed the ball to a player in the backcourt, which was an obvious back court violation. That’s an inexcusable mistake for any player, especially a veteran. If Dilly or Shannon had made that mistake Finch would have sat them on the bench immediately. Donte committed an incredibly dumb, blatant offensive foul shoving a defender with his right arm but getting absolutely no advantage. Again, if Dilly or Shannon had made that mistake, Finch would have yanked them. And of course, there was Rudy’s defensive blunder on the last player of the game. Bottom line is that our inexperienced young players are being yanked and punished for making mistakes you’d expect from young inexperienced players. Meanwhile, our experienced vets get a pass on mistakes they absolutely should not be making. We wonder why Minott is thriving in Boston. There’s no magic to it - no special coaching tactics. It’s a simple matter of giving Minott time to play and allowing him to play through his mistakes. We’re the third worst defensive team in the NBA with Dilly and Shannon (especially Dilly) getting almost no playing time. How much worse can we be with Dilly and Shannon playing a lot more? And at least playing them can pay dividends down the road by facilitating the development of their games. You can’t say the same about the older vets.

Nice points. On Dilly, I'm not as optimistic he's going to be borderline all star as I use to be, expectations and all. I just was hoping he was further along then he is, given last year and all summer to make progress. I guess he's in a fine spot considering age still. Still, he's going to have to be great on offense because I think he's probably always going to be a negative on defense. Can his potential positive offense overtake the negative and by how much is the question in my mind.

It's just so hard being patient with young players. I bet for coaches it's even harder. You just got to see that 1% growth here and there and let it add up over the long haul.

Also Minott is my dude I said would come back strong this season (after Finch refused to play him anymore last year). He just needed a little more marinating.

Patience by coaches and front office executes is hard but it’s essential. That’s how you develop the players you draft and build a winning team organically. If by marinating, you mean playing time then I agree with you completely. The main difference between Minott this season and last is that this season he’s playing every game averaging 22.3 minutes per game compared to playing sporadically and averaging single-digit minutes while with us. Like Dilly, Minott came here as a teenager with only one year of college ball under his belt. Minott is now 22 years old. The keys to making the most of drafting Dilly are (1) giving him significant minutes consistently every tame; and (2) being patient with him as he makes mistakes rather than yanking him for every misstep. If we think about the Josh Minott we had two seasons ago at age 20 and compare him to the Minott playing for the Celtics now at age 22 it should give us some perspective on how good Dilly can be.

As for Dilly’s defensive potential, I don’t think we have a good sense of how good he can be. He’s about the same size Mike Conley was at the same age and Conley has been a terrific defender throughout his career. My guess is Dilly will can be a middle-of-the-pack overall. I agree his potential to be a really good player - maybe the borderline all-star you initially envisioned - turns largely on how good he becomes offensively. When I watch him, I see a gifted passer with a very good feel for the game. He’s still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the NBA game and he’s still developing both his skills and his physique. I think he can be special because of what I see as elite passing a playmaking potential, coupled with a proven track record as an excellent three-point shooter in college. Again, we’ll never know unless he plays substantial minutes on a consistent basis for any extended period of time. And even if he gets those minutes, we shouldn’t expect to see what he can truly be until a year of two from now when he’s Minott’s age.