Minnesota Sports Forum

KiwiMatt wrote:Good debate going on here!

In regards to the LaVine vs Bjelica starting debate I'm siding with LaVine on this one. To me a solid rotation is far more important than who starts and who comes off the bench. Sure Bjelica benefits playing next to Rubio, but so do a lot of players.

In terms of rotation I'd sub out LaVine at the 6 min mark of the 1st quarter, move Wiggins to the 2 and play Bjelica at the 3. At 3 or 4 min mark i'd sub out Dieng, move KAT to C and bring in Muhammad at SF. At the start of the 2nd quarter I'd roll with the lineup of Dunn - LaVine - Muhammad - Bejlica - Aldrich. Playing LaVine with the reserves would give us an offensive punch and go to scorer.

Camden wrote:Zach LaVine's ability to drill three-pointers efficiently and with volume from anywhere on the court is just as, if not more important, to this team's success than who's defending Andrew Wiggins for the opposition. This board tends to bring up last year's successes down the stretch, but the number one reason why this team took off in the second half of the season offensively was because LaVine was inserted into the starting lineup. There's no way around that. His floor spacing and ability to create for himself and others at times is pivotal to this bunch becoming a juggernaut.

It's also worth noting that Wiggins wasn't struggling to score before the game against the Lakers, and he played plenty SF in that game as well considering Muhammad was out and the Wolves turned to two-PG units during stretches. Andrew can either pick on smaller defenders using his length or overwhelm similarly/bigger built players with his explosiveness/agility. Either way, he's shown that he can put the ball in the hoop or get to the line regardless of who's in front of him. As for defensively, Wiggins defending in isolation hasn't been the problem dating back to his rookie season. However, he's still learning how to factor in as a team defender -- everyone on the team is, actually.

I think fans are [rightfully] desperate to see this roster win and seeing the team do so has sparked some super hot takes. You simply can't bench Zach LaVine in favor of Nemenja Bjelica, though. LaVine has earned his spot more so than Bjelica and he's the second or third most important piece of this core. I don't think that conflict would do any good for the present or future of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Might as well just trade him at that point, and if you do that, I feel confident saying that it'll rub Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns -- as well as the fan base -- the wrong way.