Kat is back vs the Pacers GDT

[kekgeek]

Also why doesn't Ryan ever use his challenges. Nate McMillan used a challenge in both games against the wolves and changed the outlook of the game. Ryan has used his challenge in 9 of 40 games. You should honestly use it every game, even if it is a small thing.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

We were doing better without Towns.

[kekgeek]

Things I like:
1) Thought Wiggins was super aggressive and played really well. Of course he is going to have those Andrew Wiggins moments where you scratch your head. I agree with Lip that Point Wiggins isn't great but it gets him to be aggressive. It sad thats what the Wolves have to do but it is what it is.

2) Kat was solid offensively in his return and didn't bitch about non calls.

3) Gorgui was really good once again, Gorgui is probably the wolves 4th best player.

4) Culver great 1st half

5) Okogie was very solid tonight, did Okogie type of things

6) That Gorgui and Cov combo on defense is really freaking good.

7) Wolves shot amazing from 3

Things I didn't like

1) Defense was terrible for 3 quarters. 99 pts given up for 3 quarters is really bad. Don't think it is like Kat's fault or anything but first game Kat is back and the defense becomes pathetic again.

2) Napier was straight trash again. He is not good. Sup 40% shooter for his career, terrible 3 pt shooter and doesn't play good defense. Going to be hard to watch him start for the rest of the year.

3) Wolves refusal to play 2 bigs and it doesn't seem like it is in the plans for the future based on what Benz said when he talked to Ryan.

4) Gorgui played 20 minutes, Gorgui is our 4th best player but we refuse to play 2 bigs together at all in the game.

5) Vonleh/Naz 0 minutes, Vonleh is by far our best defensive big and he is out of the rotation. Is Naz going to get any minutes the next 2 years with Gorgui under contract. If the Wolves want to go youth movement fine I guess but how does Naz get minutes in this system with Kat and Gorgui on the roster.

6) Mchlaurin has a good 3 pt stroke just don't think he is an NBA player. To small to attack or play defense. He is a solid player but struggles because of his size and that won't change.

7) Kat once again not getting a touch on the last possession.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I dont think that play was designed for napier per se, the pacers just packed the paint and didnt guard Napier.

Wiggs is still our best wing shot creator, so i get why he gets the ball. But, when we do go to it, it should be in some sort of 2 man action with kat. Kat and wiggs looked good playing off each other from the top. It creates clearer driving lanes for wiggs, so then kat can follow up to crash the boards for a put back or a pick and pop for kat. It doesnt make same sense to ignore kat. Yes, its harder to get a big involved, but not impossible.

The other option is just to let kat iso.

The refusal by saunders to play 2 bigs is baffling, especially when the pacers trot out turner and sabonis.

[Wolvesfan21]

I would try this starting lineup-

Culver
Wiggins
RoCo
KAT
Dieng

The only issue I see potentially is that both KAT and Dieng can be driven on as they are not very good defending out in space. But I think the added defense and rebounding and length would make up for it.

Besides Napier is mostly garbage as we saw with his air ball game winner.

And Ryan doesn't have to worry because both Dieng and KAT are the best 3P shooters on the team.

[Lipoli390]

I dont think that play was designed for napier per se, the pacers just packed the paint and didnt guard Napier.

Wiggs is still our best wing shot creator, so i get why he gets the ball. But, when we do go to it, it should be in some sort of 2 man action with kat. Kat and wiggs looked good playing off each other from the top. It creates clearer driving lanes for wiggs, so then kat can follow up to crash the boards for a put back or a pick and pop for kat. It doesnt make same sense to ignore kat. Yes, its harder to get a big involved, but not impossible.

The other option is just to let kat iso.

The refusal by saunders to play 2 bigs is baffling, especially when the pacers trot out turner and sabonis.

Excellent post, Crazy. Your post underscores what I consider to be the three two problems with this team right now:

1. The lack of a ball-handing guard who can shoot. We typically discuss this as the lack of a PG, but it could be a SG. We need a guard with an excellent handle who can create for others AND be a credible threat from deep. You're point about Napier last night is a good one. When a play is designed for him, defenders pack the paint and cut off scoring opportunities for KAT and others in the paint.

2. Poor interior defense with KAT on the court. Ryan's refusal to play another big alongside KAT is really hurting this team. When KAT plays, it elevates our offense. But we all know that KAT is a liability defensively. The obvious answer is to pair KAT with a defensive big. Ideally, we'd add a defensive shot-blocking stalwart in the mold of Rudy Gobert to the roster. But short of that, we already have two good interior defenders. One of them is Vonleh, who in limited action has shown himself to be a very good defender who is also quick and athletic. The other is Gorgui, who proved during this recent stretch that he's a solid defender who has also developed a pretty reliable 3-point shot.

We don't have an answer to the first problem on our current roster. But Ryan could at least partially address the interior defense problem by playing Gorgui or Vonleh alongside KAT. Ryan's refusal to do that is certainly baffling. The only explanation is that he's more committed to the style he wants the team to play than he is to winning. It's part of the long-term approach of the Rosas regime. They have a style in mind and they're going to stick to it this season and determine who on the current roster can fit that style long term and who can't. Meanwhile, they'll seek to add players now and next summer who better fit the organization's preferred style as they did swapping Teague for Crabbe.

I'm all for taking a long-term approach. But I think this organization's absolute commitment to the small-style in this instance is a mistake. The best organizations adapt style of play to personnel. If the Wolves are going to build around KAT, they absolutely can't play small ball because the team needs a defensive big to mitigate KAT's defensive limitations. Importantly, KAT's elite outside shooting along with his excellent ballhandling and passing skills on the offensive end give this organization the luxury of playing a second big without compromising the team's offensive production or spacing. We can't know for sure what playing Gorgui or Vonleh with KAT would make. But given what we've seen almost halfway through the season, it's imperative that the coaching staff give it a try.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I dont think that play was designed for napier per se, the pacers just packed the paint and didnt guard Napier.

Wiggs is still our best wing shot creator, so i get why he gets the ball. But, when we do go to it, it should be in some sort of 2 man action with kat. Kat and wiggs looked good playing off each other from the top. It creates clearer driving lanes for wiggs, so then kat can follow up to crash the boards for a put back or a pick and pop for kat. It doesnt make same sense to ignore kat. Yes, its harder to get a big involved, but not impossible.

The other option is just to let kat iso.

The refusal by saunders to play 2 bigs is baffling, especially when the pacers trot out turner and sabonis.

Excellent post, Crazy. Your post underscores what I consider to be the three two problems with this team right now:

1. The lack of a ball-handing guard who can shoot. We typically discuss this as the lack of a PG, but it could be a SG. We need a guard with an excellent handle who can create for others AND be a credible threat from deep. You're point about Napier last night is a good one. When a play is designed for him, defenders pack the paint and cut off scoring opportunities for KAT and others in the paint.

2. Poor interior defense with KAT on the court. Ryan's refusal to play another big alongside KAT is really hurting this team. When KAT plays, it elevates our offense. But we all know that KAT is a liability defensively. The obvious answer is to pair KAT with a defensive big. Ideally, we'd add a defensive shot-blocking stalwart in the mold of Rudy Gobert to the roster. But short of that, we already have two good interior defenders. One of them is Vonleh, who in limited action has shown himself to be a very good defender who is also quick and athletic. The other is Gorgui, who proved during this recent stretch that he's a solid defender who has also developed a pretty reliable 3-point shot.

We don't have an answer to the first problem on our current roster. But Ryan could at least partially address the interior defense problem by playing Gorgui or Vonleh alongside KAT. Ryan's refusal to do that is certainly baffling. The only explanation is that he's more committed to the style he wants the team to play than he is to winning. It's part of the long-term approach of the Rosas regime. They have a style in mind and they're going to stick to it this season and determine who on the current roster can fit that style long term and who can't. Meanwhile, they'll seek to add players now and next summer who better fit the organization's preferred style as they did swapping Teague for Crabbe.

I'm all for taking a long-term approach. But I think this organization's absolute commitment to the small-style in this instance is a mistake. The best organizations adapt style of play to personnel. If the Wolves are going to build around KAT, they absolutely can't play small ball because the team needs a defensive big to mitigate KAT's defensive limitations. Importantly, KAT's elite outside shooting along with his excellent ballhandling and passing skills on the offensive end give this organization the luxury of playing a second big without compromising the team's offensive production or spacing. We can't know for sure what playing Gorgui or Vonleh with KAT would make. But given what we've seen almost halfway through the season, it's imperative that the coaching staff give it a try.

1. Needing another threat is essential. It doesnt have to be replacing wiggs, but it could be adding to wiggs and kat. Since about the 10 game mark, teams have simply crowded kat and wiggs. They are putting 4 guys in the paint and just waiting. We badly need a second shot creator/3rd shooter at a guard spot on the floor. Instead of looking for a solution, we are trying a band aid fix with crabbe because we have nothing else.

2, i dont think kats individual defense is all that bad. Unfortunately as the c, his responsibilities require much more from him. I think the team hopes kat can figure it out because he has the physical tools and is smart enough to pull it off instead of trying to help him. I agree that the coaching staff is just being stubborn right now.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Indiana is in that 2nd tier of teams - not going to contend, but really, really good still. The fact we hung with them is somewhat impressive. But it's also kind of depressing when you think about our high $ Cadillacs like KAT and Wig have never even come close in their time together to being as good as this Indiana collection of solid-ish to good players that happen to do the fundamentals better.

- Perfect example....The KAT and Wiggins PnR. I don't know how many times they have run this over the years and Wiggins' defender EASILY gets over the top of the screen without much duress. Part of it is on KAT, but a lot of it is on Wiggins' timing and angles on how he "takes" the screen. It's one of the many small things that this duo sucks at. Meanwhile, Brogdon and Co. get automatic wide open 16-footers everytime they take a Sabonis or Turner screen. They made a gazillion short jumpers and runners under minimal pressure from the defense. (BTW - Indiana must have the best runner/floater game in the league. Brogdon, Lamb, and Warren made about 10 of them last night. These are shots our defense actually wants them to take!).

- Napier is the opposite of Teague. I actually like the way he plays. He plays faster, more decisively, and shows more intensity on defense. Unfortunately, he's just not very good. It's why he should be a backup.

- Here are our best players in my opinion:
1. KAT
2. RoCo
3. Dieng
4. Wiggins
5. Vonleh
6. Culver (this is the last two weeks, not for the season)

WolvesFan's lineup he listed above would get 5 out of 6 of these guys on the court at the same time. I mean, it's almost revolutionary!

[Lipoli390]

I would try this starting lineup-

Culver
Wiggins
RoCo
KAT
Dieng

The only issue I see potentially is that both KAT and Dieng can be driven on as they are not very good defending out in space. But I think the added defense and rebounding and length would make up for it.

Besides Napier is mostly garbage as we saw with his air ball game winner.

And Ryan doesn't have to worry because both Dieng and KAT are the best 3P shooters on the team.

That's the starting lineup I'd go with too. And I'd have Culver as our lead ballhander, i.e., PG.

[Wolvesfan21]

I would try this starting lineup-

Culver
Wiggins
RoCo
KAT
Dieng

The only issue I see potentially is that both KAT and Dieng can be driven on as they are not very good defending out in space. But I think the added defense and rebounding and length would make up for it.

Besides Napier is mostly garbage as we saw with his air ball game winner.

And Ryan doesn't have to worry because both Dieng and KAT are the best 3P shooters on the team.

That's the starting lineup I'd go with too. And I'd have Culver as our lead ballhander, i.e., PG.

Yep. That's why I listed him first, though positions don't matter as much in todays game. Culver has looked pretty good and really great considering he is a rookie as a ball handler/shot creator. I really like the idea of riding him and developing him as much as possible. He's still only 19 y/o (I think).

You don't have to run (2 bigs) the whole game either. I would generally start with that lineup and see how it goes. Though they might win too many games with this lineup so it could backfire. lol

I'm just thinking that even if either Dieng or KAT get beat off the dribble another big plus the other 3 guys are what 6'6" and taller too. Should provide nice rim protection and rebounding with guys collapsing to the rim.