Game Report - Wolves v. Rockets

[Coolbreeze44]

I've noticed a signficant difference in intensity since he was benched for the 4th quarter a few games back. It's maddening that you know a great basketball player is in there somewhere, but it just won't come out.

[Lipoli390]

I've noticed a signficant difference in intensity since he was benched for the 4th quarter a few games back. It's maddening that you know a great basketball player is in there somewhere, but it just won't come out.

I agree, Cool. He just oozes talent. Every time I start to give up on him, he has a game that reminds me of how great he could be. Let's cross our fingers and hope that at some point he fulfills his promise. I still think a better coach who runs an offensive system with lots of pace, space and movement would do wonders for Wiggins.

[Lipoli390]

Lip, one thing I noticed last night that was a little disturbing to me. I'm a big fan (as you are) of watching things that happen off the court...player interaction on the bench, habits during shootaround, etc. Last night I had the binoculars on Okogie a lot. I like guys who practice what they are going to use in a game rather than just clowning around. Some guys spend the entire time at the free throw line, KG used to practice over and over that baseline fadeaway that he made a career out of. Ricky Davis on the other hand used to practice shots from out of bounds over the backboard...fun, but not a practical move. At least last night, Okogie was closer to the Ricky Davis mode...he was taking lackadaisical 3-pointers from 10-feet beyond the arc, and half-hearted hook shots in the lane. Maybe he's frustrated because he knows he's not likely to get into the game, but I wondered if he might have lazy practice habits similar to what I watched last night, and if that might be a reason Thibs isn't playing him.

Further, while he is an enthusiastic guy on the bench in cheering for his teammates, his behavior during timeouts was less than stellar. He spent most of the time laughing and whispering to Tyus while Thibs was talking to the team. Tyus didn't seem to know how to handle it...he obviously enjoys joking around with Josh, but he looked like a schoolkid who was worried about getting in trouble for talking.

Maybe my observations were one-time occurrences, and maybe they mean nothing. But since I'm not going to the game on Wednesday. please give us a report on Josh's practice habits and time out behavior...I saw a little more Wes Johnson than I wanted to see last night.

I'm sorry to say your observations were not one-time occurrences. I've been noticing the same thing with Okogie for a while now. And yes, Wes Johnson has come to mind. But what distinguishes him from Wes so far is the fact that Okogie is totally into what his teammates are doing on the floor while the game is in progress. He may be the most enthusiastic player on the Wolves bench. I think a lot of it is the fact that he's a bundle of energy that's not getting expended now in the absence of any playing time - sort of ADHD.

I should note that Okogie isn't the only one engaging in a little too much frivolity for my taste. During shoot-around before the Boston game, RoCo, Towns and Okogie were engaged in a baseball routine where RoCo pitched the basketball to Towns, who was in a catcher's crouch, with Okogie standing in front of Towns with an imaginary baseball bat. Roco threw the basketball. Okogie then swung his hands as if swinging at the pitch, after which he grabbed the ball out of Towns' hand, dribbled the ball to the hoop and dunked. It was actually fun to watch and it's nice to see the guys having fun again. But it seemed a bit unseemly for a .500 team to be messing around like that in pre-game warmups. The Warriors can do that, but not the Wolves. I've watched Tolliver and Tyus doing some Wes Johnson-type behavior on the bench. The guys with the best game-faces on the bench are Rose, Saric and Teague. Yo will rarely if every see any of those three laughing or joking on the bench while the game is in progress. KAT and Wiggins are pretty good as well. But I'm a bit worried about Okogie, Tyus and Tolliver. I'll keep my eye on Okogie.

It's obvious that Covington has brought a lot more joy and a much lighter atmosphere to the team. On balance, the team needed that after the Butler ordeal and given the unrelentingly serious, angry and dour attitude that emanates from Thibodeau. And so far, it doesn't appear to be doing any harm. In fact, it seems to be helping. But the frivolity needs to be contained. I never, ever want to see another Wes Johnson on the Wolves bench!!

[Coolbreeze44]

I've noticed a signficant difference in intensity since he was benched for the 4th quarter a few games back. It's maddening that you know a great basketball player is in there somewhere, but it just won't come out.

I agree, Cool. He just oozes talent. Every time I start to give up on him, he has a game that reminds me of how great he could be. Let's cross our fingers and hope that at some point he fulfills his promise. I still think a better coach who runs an offensive system with lots of pace, space and movement would do wonders for Wiggins.

Yes, if you were to design an offensive system to minimize Wig's talents, this would be it. He's forced to take a lot of tough shots, when in all actcuality a guy with his talents should be up with Capella in easy baskets made.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I've noticed a signficant difference in intensity since he was benched for the 4th quarter a few games back. It's maddening that you know a great basketball player is in there somewhere, but it just won't come out.

I agree, Cool. He just oozes talent. Every time I start to give up on him, he has a game that reminds me of how great he could be. Let's cross our fingers and hope that at some point he fulfills his promise. I still think a better coach who runs an offensive system with lots of pace, space and movement would do wonders for Wiggins.

Yes, if you were to design an offensive system to minimize Wig's talents, this would be it. He's forced to take a lot of tough shots, when in all actcuality a guy with his talents should be up with Capella in easy baskets made.

No need to worry, fellas...Wig announced in the Strib this morning that he is "back now". That's a relief. Can home court advantage in the playoffs be far behind?

(ok, I'm being sarcastic, but I'm also gullible enough to buy into this article. Because I want Wig to play every night like he did Monday, I want to believe he is "back now". His claim would be a lot more credible though if he give a supportable reason for his play the last two weeks)

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Lip, one thing I noticed last night that was a little disturbing to me. I'm a big fan (as you are) of watching things that happen off the court...player interaction on the bench, habits during shootaround, etc. Last night I had the binoculars on Okogie a lot. I like guys who practice what they are going to use in a game rather than just clowning around. Some guys spend the entire time at the free throw line, KG used to practice over and over that baseline fadeaway that he made a career out of. Ricky Davis on the other hand used to practice shots from out of bounds over the backboard...fun, but not a practical move. At least last night, Okogie was closer to the Ricky Davis mode...he was taking lackadaisical 3-pointers from 10-feet beyond the arc, and half-hearted hook shots in the lane. Maybe he's frustrated because he knows he's not likely to get into the game, but I wondered if he might have lazy practice habits similar to what I watched last night, and if that might be a reason Thibs isn't playing him.

Further, while he is an enthusiastic guy on the bench in cheering for his teammates, his behavior during timeouts was less than stellar. He spent most of the time laughing and whispering to Tyus while Thibs was talking to the team. Tyus didn't seem to know how to handle it...he obviously enjoys joking around with Josh, but he looked like a schoolkid who was worried about getting in trouble for talking.

Maybe my observations were one-time occurrences, and maybe they mean nothing. But since I'm not going to the game on Wednesday. please give us a report on Josh's practice habits and time out behavior...I saw a little more Wes Johnson than I wanted to see last night.

I'm sorry to say your observations were not one-time occurrences. I've been noticing the same thing with Okogie for a while now. And yes, Wes Johnson has come to mind. But what distinguishes him from Wes so far is the fact that Okogie is totally into what his teammates are doing on the floor while the game is in progress. He may be the most enthusiastic player on the Wolves bench. I think a lot of it is the fact that he's a bundle of energy that's not getting expended now in the absence of any playing time - sort of ADHD.

I should note that Okogie isn't the only one engaging in a little too much frivolity for my taste. During shoot-around before the Boston game, RoCo, Towns and Okogie were engaged in a baseball routine where RoCo pitched the basketball to Towns, who was in a catcher's crouch, with Okogie standing in front of Towns with an imaginary baseball bat. Roco threw the basketball. Okogie then swung his hands as if swinging at the pitch, after which he grabbed the ball out of Towns' hand, dribbled the ball to the hoop and dunked. It was actually fun to watch and it's nice to see the guys having fun again. But it seemed a bit unseemly for a .500 team to be messing around like that in pre-game warmups. The Warriors can do that, but not the Wolves. I've watched Tolliver and Tyus doing some Wes Johnson-type behavior on the bench. The guys with the best game-faces on the bench are Rose, Saric and Teague. Yo will rarely if every see any of those three laughing or joking on the bench while the game is in progress. KAT and Wiggins are pretty good as well. But I'm a bit worried about Okogie, Tyus and Tolliver. I'll keep my eye on Okogie.

It's obvious that Covington has brought a lot more joy and a much lighter atmosphere to the team. On balance, the team needed that after the Butler ordeal and given the unrelentingly serious, angry and dour attitude that emanates from Thibodeau. And so far, it doesn't appear to be doing any harm. In fact, it seems to be helping. But the frivolity needs to be contained. I never, ever want to see another Wes Johnson on the Wolves bench!!

Thanks for the observations, Lip. I agree that the Wolves demeanor is a mixed bag. Largely I think it's good that the post-trade team is loose and having fun, and I kind of like the story of the mock baseball game! But it has to be combined with seriousness too, and I think largely we have a team that looks focused and working on their craft at halftime. That's precisely why Josh's halftime Ricky Davis-like sloppiness was so noticeable...he was an outlier, and I don't want a talented rookie going in the wrong direction. I'd appreciate your observations about Josh in future games since you're there more frequently than I am.

I also don't know how to evaluate Josh's (and some others') lack of attention during timeouts. I agree that Josh is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the guys on the court (maybe second only to Tolliver...what a great teammate!), but he seldom listens to anything Thibs is saying during timeouts...at least, not Monday and during the Portland game I went to. Cam commented in another post that it's natural to be excited and engaged with teammates during such a successful second half, but my observations were during the dismal first half. Thibs was talking with the team during an especially bad defensive stretch, and Josh was clowning around with Tyus even as Tyus was trying to pay attention...not the demeanor I want to see from a rookie trying to learn the pro game. But if he's hearing from the veterans that Thibs is out to lunch, that might be why he doesn't feel like he has to listen during timeouts. Again, something to watch during timeouts in future games, both as an indicator of how much control Thibs has over this team, and how focused Josh is on getting better.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Let's not get too upset over millionaire kids goofing around before or during games. I'm sure it's not just the wolves.

As long as the intensity is there on the court, that's what matters.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Yeah, based on the way Okogie brings it when on the court, it's hard for me to get too concerned. Of course we know Kris Dunn had a high motor and similar defensive mindset, yet turned out to be a malcontent.

It is a shame Thibs can't find a way to get the kid 10-15 minutes per night.

[Monster]

Just because Wes Johnson smiled and whatever doesn't mean that's why he is just a somewhat decent rotation wing in the NBA. Maybe he should have been more jovial. I get that it seems that Wes wasn't good because of the mental aspect of not putting it together but I don't think everyone has to have their game face on all the time. 82 games is a grind. It's not 162 like baseball but it's still a lot. I do appreciate the observations and insights though from being at the games. Keep me coming. I do think it's worth watching Okogie because I've seen Dane Moore commenting on some of his work coming out of half time etc. still it's a shoot around some people may need to just get loose in one way or another.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yeah, based on the way Okogie brings it when on the court, it's hard for me to get too concerned. Of course we know Kris Dunn had a high motor and similar defensive mindset, yet turned out to be a malcontent.

It is a shame Thibs can't find a way to get the kid 10-15 minutes per night.

How many times in Wolves history can we say that MULTIPLE players deserve more minutes?

Saric is more than a 16 - 20 mpg player. Heck, he started for a 50-win playoff team. Even Tyus Jones has people hoping to see him get more run... and some analytics back it up.