Minnesota Sports Forum

DNatagal wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:16 pm Who had Jaden as a small ball 5 on their bingo card?

Aussie did!

thedoper wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:11 pm This team looks so great when they share the ball.

And make shots and take care of the ball.

Back to back wins over winning teams...let's put that narrative to bed. Now we get 2 games against the 3-17 Pelicans.

I've never seem Donte and Jaden so relaxed on the bench...that's what a +14 and +13 will do for you, second and third best tonight. Of course even together they fell short of Julius's +30...what a game for Ju!

Conley-DDV-Jaden-Naz-Julius. That was the five-man unit that broke the game open with a 21-7 run in the first half of the 4th quarter. It was the best basketball I've seen them play all year in terms of being connected and making the right play on both ends.

Coaching staff gets an A+ for getting that group out there and then putting them into a zone to mask what would otherwise be a really bad defensive unit if guarding man-to-man. Jaden does so well in that setup as a free safety where he doesn't have to try sticking to one guy and he can help shore up the paint defense.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:16 pm

DNatagal wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:16 pm Who had Jaden as a small ball 5 on their bingo card?

Aussie did!

Boy oh boy was it fun to watch that Randle/Naz/Jaden lineup!
That's not gonna work against every team, but please please remember that you have that card to play Finch!

Best win of the season by far and to do it on a b2b is so impressive. Randle was sensational and I know Ant had 7 TOs but a few of them were flukey and I think only 1 was after the 1st quarter

Abe's "This Game Thread was Funnier Than Usual in a COOL Sort of Way" DVR Review:

- Yawn. That's not me about the game. It's the Wolves attitude on defense early in this one.

- We're years into this... but I still don't really know the difference between Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. But I'm pretty certain they're shooting a combined 38 - 43 in this game.

- Kelly Olynyk has had a better career than I would have expected.

- Great energy on defense to start the 4th. Build the lead before Edwards...

- Jim Pete is usually on it. Case in point... Mike Conley was key to the surge in the 4th. A guy like Dillingham could run circles around Conley athletically at this point. But Conley knows approximately 9,234% more about HOW to play the game.

- LOL. Wolves up 14. Out of a timeout Randle throws a terrible lazy pass for a TO. Then, Ant is slow on a closeout. Spurs hit a three. Finch's reaction was incredible here. It was very "Dad-like when he tells the kids what to do prior to work... and then comes home to see none of it done." The body shiver. The exasperated gasp. The shoulder shrug. And the waving arms flying high in abject frustration.

- I don't know what an NBA foul is anymore. Seriously. No idea.
... The Jaylen Brown (McDaniels) foul yesterday.
... The D. Fox (DDV) foul today.

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:36 pm Boy oh boy was it fun to watch that Randle/Naz/Jaden lineup!
That's not gonna work against every team, but please please remember that you have that card to play Finch!

Best win of the season by far and to do it on a b2b is so impressive. Randle was sensational and I know Ant had 7 TOs but a few of them were flukey and I think only 1 was after the 1st quarter

Part of the reason that lineup worked though was the zone, as with Jaden being the only plus-level POA defender in that 5-man unit, he has to stick with the opponent's best perimeter scorer, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves when dribble penetration takes place. Disaster ensues.

Also, I thought Jaden did a terrible job on his screen navigation decisions throughout most of the game when they were in man-to-man coverage. He goes over way too many screens unnecessarily.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:43 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:36 pm Boy oh boy was it fun to watch that Randle/Naz/Jaden lineup!
That's not gonna work against every team, but please please remember that you have that card to play Finch!

Best win of the season by far and to do it on a b2b is so impressive. Randle was sensational and I know Ant had 7 TOs but a few of them were flukey and I think only 1 was after the 1st quarter

Part of the reason that lineup worked though was the zone, as with Jaden being the only plus-level POA defender in that 5-man unit, he has to stick with the opponent's best perimeter scorer, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves when dribble penetration takes place. Disaster ensues.

Also, I thought Jaden did a terrible job on his screen navigation decisions throughout most of the game when they were in man-to-man coverage. He goes over way too many screens unnecessarily.

Oh 100% which is why I said you can't run it all the time.
I will note however that Jaden did cause a few never minds and absolutely has the chops to play a non zone defense at a center. Naz is also not bad on the perimeter nor a bad help side defender- that 3 man line up could work imo with better defensive guards like Clark and Ant -well theoretically, Ant -__-

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:43 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:36 pm Boy oh boy was it fun to watch that Randle/Naz/Jaden lineup!
That's not gonna work against every team, but please please remember that you have that card to play Finch!

Best win of the season by far and to do it on a b2b is so impressive. Randle was sensational and I know Ant had 7 TOs but a few of them were flukey and I think only 1 was after the 1st quarter

Part of the reason that lineup worked though was the zone, as with Jaden being the only plus-level POA defender in that 5-man unit, he has to stick with the opponent's best perimeter scorer, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves when dribble penetration takes place. Disaster ensues.

Also, I thought Jaden did a terrible job on his screen navigation decisions throughout most of the game when they were in man-to-man coverage. He goes over way too many screens unnecessarily.

And the zone only works when Ant is not on the court...he is completely lost when he has to play zone.