lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
But that's my biggest fear, Wally, that DLo will try to maximize his points per game to "earn" his next contract. I agree that DLo can be very helpful on offense (not so much on defense unfortunately) if he plays within himself, focuses on facilitating the offense, and avoids hero ball. But every shot he takes at his substandard career 53.2 TS% instead of getting the ball to better options makes our offense less efficient. DLo is a smart player, so I think he knows how he can best help this team at both ends of the court...and when he forgets and starts reverting to "Bad DLo", we know Finchy will hold him accountable. But let's hope he understands the best way to earn his next contract is not jacking up off-balance shots and playing lazy defense. If he concentrates on getting the ball to his teammates, plays at least average defense, and takes the wide open shot when it's there, he has the potential to be a plus player. I'm skeptical, but excited enough about the guys around him to be hopeful.
I think you nailed my biggest concern with Dlo this year. I hope he doesn't try to do too much on offense to showcase himself for his next contract. He needs to turn himself into more of a pass first pg with this starting lineup. With Gobert and the emergence of ant, I think Dlo should almost try to pattern his game more towards a Rubio that can shoot better. No more shoot first Dlo... never. This offense will be scary if Dlo understands that he's a facilitator first and a scorer last... that's what will truly enhance his value.
I know many would disagree with me, but as I said in another thread, I'd be supportive of extending Dlo a couple of years at $25 mill year, with incentive provisions that encourage the kind of Dlo we need. Increased assists, increased shooting efficiency, better on-ball defense.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
Wally - If you agree with Cool 100%, then you agree with his comment that "we need DLO to beat these screens." In other words, let's hope the idea of DLO being more hungry on the defensive end isn't just wishful thinking. I don't expect DLO to get quicker; that's not going to happen. But DLO will need to be more aggressive fighting through screens to make sure this team achieves its full potential. If he doesn't, Finchy will need to plant him on the bench - something that Finch has already shown he's willing to do. One reason I don't want the Wolves to give DLO an extension is that I want him as fully motivated as possible. A contract year can be a big motivator, which can give Finch additional leverage.
Ope, good catch Lip, what I meant to say is I agree 100% with cool on the fact Jaden...and I will add Ant (hopefully takes linear next step)...can take on the tough defensive assignments of top point guards that Dlo just can not guard...because he is slow as Molasses....I DO not agree that Dlo will find that fire in his belly to fight over screens, he just seems even more ambivalent on that end of the court....if that's the lynchpin I'm worried.
I do agree with cams take on how this team caters to Dlo's strengths, thus allowing us to see a more consistent performer from game to game with less games going 3/13 on the offensive end, and a career assist year?!?
I was on the trade Dlo wagon until the Gobert trade, this team just didn't cater to his strengths enough, and his individual deficiencies as a player were not good enough when facing top flight talent.... now I'm on the watch and see wagon, I hope his play during a contract year doesn't come back to bite us in the rear! In regards to long term high dollar extension....I not only hope, but fully anticipate Dlo to drop dimes to his team mates and drop skittles all over target center with his beautiful rainbows next year!
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
Wally - If you agree with Cool 100%, then you agree with his comment that "we need DLO to beat these screens." In other words, let's hope the idea of DLO being more hungry on the defensive end isn't just wishful thinking. I don't expect DLO to get quicker; that's not going to happen. But DLO will need to be more aggressive fighting through screens to make sure this team achieves its full potential. If he doesn't, Finchy will need to plant him on the bench - something that Finch has already shown he's willing to do. One reason I don't want the Wolves to give DLO an extension is that I want him as fully motivated as possible. A contract year can be a big motivator, which can give Finch additional leverage.
Ope, good catch Lip, what I meant to say is I agree 100% with cool on the fact Jaden...and I will add Ant (hopefully takes linear next step)...can take on the tough defensive assignments of top point guards that Dlo just can not guard...because he is slow as Molasses....I DO not agree that Dlo will find that fire in his belly to fight over screens, he just seems even more ambivalent on that end of the court....if that's the lynchpin I'm worried.
I do agree with cams take on how this team caters to Dlo's strengths, thus allowing us to see a more consistent performer from game to game with less games going 3/13 on the offensive end, and a career assist year?!?
I was on the trade Dlo wagon until the Gobert trade, this team just didn't cater to his strengths enough, and his individual deficiencies as a player were not good enough when facing top flight talent.... now I'm on the watch and see wagon, I hope his play during a contract year doesn't come back to bite us in the rear! In regards to long term high dollar extension....I not only hope, but fully anticipate Dlo to drop dimes to his team mates and drop skittles all over target center with his beautiful rainbows next year!
I agree with you on this 100%, Wally. :).
My concern is that we're relying far too much on a couple of 21 year olds entering their third NBA seasons. I expect them to improve, but how much? This just gets back to my problem with the Gobert deal in the first place. More than my view that we gave up too much, my main concern was the timing of the deal. As I mentioned, you do a deal like this for a 30-year old allstar if you're building around an existing 30-year old star and your stuck in the mud. We were an ascending team after last season with our championship hopes built primarily around a 21 year old star (not quite 21), Anthony Edwards. And I think Draymond Green nailed it when he said the Wolves traded for Gobert because they believe Edwards will be a star. I too think he will become a star, but he's not there yet. And it's a reach to expect him to become a star in his third season. With Beverley gone, we're also going to rely more on the 21-year old McDaniels. I love McDaniels, but how much of a step forward can we expect him to take in his third season?
So I'm hopeful that Edwards and McDaniels will take a huge leap forward next season on both sides of the ball. Rudy is still in his prime, but he's 30 years old and we've depleted our draft capital so this team needs to take full advantage of every season he's here and so do as early in his tenure as possible. Gobert will definitely help unlock DLO's offensive game while also improving our interior defense. But will Edwards and McDaniels be able to avoid any regression in our backcourt defense with Beverley gone? If we expect to be a championship contender (the whole point of off-loading all those assets for Gobert), then we can afford to offset any of the defensive improvement Gobert brings with defensive regression in the back court. Because I agree with you that DLO won't suddenly become someone he's not, this team will necessarily be expecting a lot from to very talented, but also very young, players.
I find it interesting how the rotation could go. I could see Dlo and Gobear being paired together a lot and then kat and ant playing together a lot too. I think it's dumb when teams play their whole 2nd unit together and have a crap offense for 10 minutes a game. Maybe play nowell and slo mo more with the Dlo/Rudy line and then play jmac and jaden more with the ant/kat line. My point is always have one of these pairings out there together at all times. I think finch will figure out some good rotations
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
Wally - If you agree with Cool 100%, then you agree with his comment that "we need DLO to beat these screens." In other words, let's hope the idea of DLO being more hungry on the defensive end isn't just wishful thinking. I don't expect DLO to get quicker; that's not going to happen. But DLO will need to be more aggressive fighting through screens to make sure this team achieves its full potential. If he doesn't, Finchy will need to plant him on the bench - something that Finch has already shown he's willing to do. One reason I don't want the Wolves to give DLO an extension is that I want him as fully motivated as possible. A contract year can be a big motivator, which can give Finch additional leverage.
Ope, good catch Lip, what I meant to say is I agree 100% with cool on the fact Jaden...and I will add Ant (hopefully takes linear next step)...can take on the tough defensive assignments of top point guards that Dlo just can not guard...because he is slow as Molasses....I DO not agree that Dlo will find that fire in his belly to fight over screens, he just seems even more ambivalent on that end of the court....if that's the lynchpin I'm worried.
I do agree with cams take on how this team caters to Dlo's strengths, thus allowing us to see a more consistent performer from game to game with less games going 3/13 on the offensive end, and a career assist year?!?
I was on the trade Dlo wagon until the Gobert trade, this team just didn't cater to his strengths enough, and his individual deficiencies as a player were not good enough when facing top flight talent.... now I'm on the watch and see wagon, I hope his play during a contract year doesn't come back to bite us in the rear! In regards to long term high dollar extension....I not only hope, but fully anticipate Dlo to drop dimes to his team mates and drop skittles all over target center with his beautiful rainbows next year!
I agree with you on this 100%, Wally. :).
My concern is that we're relying far too much on a couple of 21 year olds entering their third NBA seasons. I expect them to improve, but how much? This just gets back to my problem with the Gobert deal in the first place. More than my view that we gave up too much, my main concern was the timing of the deal. As I mentioned, you do a deal like this for a 30-year old allstar if you're building around an existing 30-year old star and your stuck in the mud. We were an ascending team after last season with our championship hopes built primarily around a 21 year old star (not quite 21), Anthony Edwards. And I think Draymond Green nailed it when he said the Wolves traded for Gobert because they believe Edwards will be a star. I too think he will become a star, but he's not there yet. And it's a reach to expect him to become a star in his third season. With Beverley gone, we're also going to rely more on the 21-year old McDaniels. I love McDaniels, but how much of a step forward can we expect him to take in his third season?
So I'm hopeful that Edwards and McDaniels will take a huge leap forward next season on both sides of the ball. Rudy is still in his prime, but he's 30 years old and we've depleted our draft capital so this team needs to take full advantage of every season he's here and so do as early in his tenure as possible. Gobert will definitely help unlock DLO's offensive game while also improving our interior defense. But will Edwards and McDaniels be able to avoid any regression in our backcourt defense with Beverley gone? If we expect to be a championship contender (the whole point of off-loading all those assets for Gobert), then we can afford to offset any of the defensive improvement Gobert brings with defensive regression in the back court. Because I agree with you that DLO won't suddenly become someone he's not, this team will necessarily be expecting a lot from to very talented, but also very young, players.
Sum of the parts lip! I find it easier to believe our unit as a whole will be more cohesive allowing each part to help turn the wheel. Thinking Jaden and Ant are going to take the league by storm at 21 is more of a stretch, I agree.
D-Loser wrote:I find it interesting how the rotation could go. I could see Dlo and Gobear being paired together a lot and then kat and ant playing together a lot too. I think it's dumb when teams play their whole 2nd unit together and have a crap offense for 10 minutes a game. Maybe play nowell and slo mo more with the Dlo/Rudy line and then play jmac and jaden more with the ant/kat line. My point is always have one of these pairings out there together at all times. I think finch will figure out some good rotations
Good stuff, Loser. Might be your best post of all-time. I agree with you here.
Chris Finch is pretty creative to begin with, but now he has some quality lineup combinations to play with. I too expect D'Angelo Russell and Rudy Gobert to share the floor together a lot, and the same goes for Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Those two duos have very complimentary games with each other.
Furthermore, I'd also expect for the Timberwolves to play mostly drop coverage with Gobert on the court and then mix in their "high wall" coverage when he's off. I'll also add that Kyle Anderson makes a good frontcourt partner with Towns for that reason.
D-Loser wrote:I find it interesting how the rotation could go. I could see Dlo and Gobear being paired together a lot and then kat and ant playing together a lot too. I think it's dumb when teams play their whole 2nd unit together and have a crap offense for 10 minutes a game. Maybe play nowell and slo mo more with the Dlo/Rudy line and then play jmac and jaden more with the ant/kat line. My point is always have one of these pairings out there together at all times. I think finch will figure out some good rotations
Good stuff, Loser. Might be your best post of all-time. I agree with you here.
Chris Finch is pretty creative to begin with, but now he has some quality lineup combinations to play with. I too expect D'Angelo Russell and Rudy Gobert to share the floor together a lot, and the same goes for Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Those two duos have very complimentary games with each other.
Furthermore, I'd also expect for the Timberwolves to play mostly drop coverage with Gobert on the court and then mix in their "high wall" coverage when he's off. I'll also add that Kyle Anderson makes a good frontcourt partner with Towns for that reason.
Good points from both of you. I wasn't factoring in the coaching acumen of Chris Finch. I do think he's a terrific coach. He can put different combos on the floor and adapt the team's style of play accordingly. But I'd still like to have a defensive stopper among our rotation guards off the bench. I like Nowell, but defense isn't something he brings to the table. This next season will be a coaching challenge for Finch. On the other hand, having Gobert policing the paint makes his job easier too.
This isn't fully relevant to the thread, but I genuinely think Jordan McLaughlin has turned himself into a legitimately good NBA defender at the point guard position despite his smaller stature and we're probably not giving him enough credit there when we discuss Minnesota's perimeter defense. He has quick hands, moves his feet well, has great anticipatory skills, and has gotten slippery against ball screens. That was much more apparent last season and it contributed to his quality minutes. He's not a great match-up with bigger guards, but my previous thoughts still apply.
Camden wrote:This isn't fully relevant to the thread, but I genuinely think Jordan McLaughlin has turned himself into a legitimately good NBA defender at the point guard position despite his smaller stature and we're probably not giving him enough credit there when we discuss Minnesota's perimeter defense. He has quick hands, moves his feet well, has great anticipatory skills, and has gotten slippery against ball screens. That was much more apparent last season and it contributed to his quality minutes. He's not a great match-up with bigger guards, but my previous thoughts still apply.
I think that's a pretty relevant point, Cam. I think we've all sort of overlooked JMac in our discussions of the post-Gobert Wolves, including issues related to the departure of Beverley and our assessment of DLO. I've always liked JMac from the time my wife and I saw him in the Vegas Summer League before the Wolves signed him as a two-way player. You could see the talent and high basketball IQ back then and I remember we were both hoping the Wolves would sign him. His most impressive talent from the beginning has been his ability to keep the ball moving, penetrate with the ball and orchestrate the offense. I love his ball-handling, quickness, high IQ and mental toughness. But you point out an overlooked facet of his game that's developed more recently, namely his defense. He's definitely become a good pesky defender. He reminds me a bit of JJ Barea in that respect although not quite as physical as JJ. I agree that he'll have a role is helping ensure the Wolves have an adequate backcourt defense to support Gobert.
