Minnesota Sports Forum

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:24 pm There are a number of individual successes on the team, but the number of failures and incompletes for individuals outweigh those successes, thus the blah regular season.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:27 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:24 pm There are a number of individual successes on the team, but the number of failures and incompletes for individuals outweigh those successes, thus the blah regular season.

Agree Tim. Ant's mid-range game and clutch-time performances are certainly a big deal as well as Jaden's 3-point shooting and overall scoring package. But otherwise not much new or improved from Rudy, Randle, Naz, and DDV. Conley regressed a ton.

But by far the biggest disappointment is the failure of one or more of the Dillingham/Shannon/Clark trio to elevate into real difference makers. The front office and a lot of us fans were counting on at least a couple of those guys being pretty big contributors this season.

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:46 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:27 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:24 pm There are a number of individual successes on the team, but the number of failures and incompletes for individuals outweigh those successes, thus the blah regular season.

Agree Tim. Ant's mid-range game and clutch-time performances are certainly a big deal as well as Jaden's 3-point shooting and overall scoring package. But otherwise not much new or improved from Rudy, Randle, Naz, and DDV. Conley regressed a ton.

But by far the biggest disappointment is the failure of one or more of the Dillingham/Shannon/Clark trio to elevate into real difference makers. The front office and a lot of us fans were counting on at least a couple of those guys being pretty big contributors this season.

Yup. Although, turning Dillingham into Ayo is promising. The biggest problem with Shannon was his foot injury, so the potential is still there. And Clark was the least disappointing of the bunch -- he does offer something on the bench, so it'll be interesting to watch him develop.

And Joan's steal and dunk against Houston is VERY encouraging!

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 9:19 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:46 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:27 pm

Agree Tim. Ant's mid-range game and clutch-time performances are certainly a big deal as well as Jaden's 3-point shooting and overall scoring package. But otherwise not much new or improved from Rudy, Randle, Naz, and DDV. Conley regressed a ton.

But by far the biggest disappointment is the failure of one or more of the Dillingham/Shannon/Clark trio to elevate into real difference makers. The front office and a lot of us fans were counting on at least a couple of those guys being pretty big contributors this season.

Yup. Although, turning Dillingham into Ayo is promising. The biggest problem with Shannon was his foot injury, so the potential is still there. And Clark was the least disappointing of the bunch -- he does offer something on the bench, so it'll be interesting to watch him develop.

And Joan's steal and dunk against Houston is VERY encouraging!

Clark is a success by 2nd round draft pick standards, but the fact he was so in and out of the rotation and lost Finch's trust was a disappointment I guess. And his 3-point shot regressed to the point where he has to be an all-NBA defender (which he's not yet)to be anything but a spot player.

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 11, 2026 9:56 am

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 9:19 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:46 pm

Yup. Although, turning Dillingham into Ayo is promising. The biggest problem with Shannon was his foot injury, so the potential is still there. And Clark was the least disappointing of the bunch -- he does offer something on the bench, so it'll be interesting to watch him develop.

And Joan's steal and dunk against Houston is VERY encouraging!

Clark is a success by 2nd round draft pick standards, but the fact he was so in and out of the rotation and lost Finch's trust was a disappointment I guess. And his 3-point shot regressed to the point where he has to be an all-NBA defender (which he's not yet)to be anything but a spot player.

I think he's better then Okogiewas for us and I also think he can be a top 2-3 type of defender in the NBA eventually for a guard. Now can he develop a wide open 35% 3P shot? Then he's a good player. Maybe throw in some semblance of a rim game too, but not really needed. Just hit those open 3's at a decent clip and defend at an elite level and he's gold.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2026 8:26 am What's interesting about this late season stretch is that it gives the front office a good look at TJ and Joan which they can factor into their offseason plans. I think Clark is what he is at this point and can improve along the margins, but the other two have a much wider degree of possible outcomes.

My early conclusion as it relates to next season is that Joan is still very raw, but definitely should be in the regular rotation next year as a backup Center. Playing a low-usage, high-activity big off the bench throughout the regular season for 12-15 MPG can only do so much damage on bad nights, while really providing a boost on good nights.

TJ is the real wildcard. My disappointment in him is that he seems incapable of impacting games without the ball in his hands. Someone with his measurables and athleticism should figure out a way to get more rebounds, steals, and blocks (only 3.2, .9, .1 per 36 minutes) and fewer blow-bys on defense. He literally had box scores of 10+ minutes with zeroes across the board except for may be an 0-2 from the field. Do something! Dive for a loose ball. Take a charge. Go up and get a contested rebound.

But....these last two games has reminded us of how potent he can be if given the green light and a little more rope. And he seemingly has his best games against the league's best defenses: OKC, Orlando, and Houston. Can he be our primary scoring option off the bench, assuming Randle and/or Naz gets traded?

kekgeek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2026 9:19 am

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2026 8:26 am What's interesting about this late season stretch is that it gives the front office a good look at TJ and Joan which they can factor into their offseason plans. I think Clark is what he is at this point and can improve along the margins, but the other two have a much wider degree of possible outcomes.

My early conclusion as it relates to next season is that Joan is still very raw, but definitely should be in the regular rotation next year as a backup Center. Playing a low-usage, high-activity big off the bench throughout the regular season for 12-15 MPG can only do so much damage on bad nights, while really providing a boost on good nights.

TJ is the real wildcard. My disappointment in him is that he seems incapable of impacting games without the ball in his hands. Someone with his measurables and athleticism should figure out a way to get more rebounds, steals, and blocks (only 3.2, .9, .1 per 36 minutes) and fewer blow-bys on defense. He literally had box scores of 10+ minutes with zeroes across the board except for may be an 0-2 from the field. Do something! Dive for a loose ball. Take a charge. Go up and get a contested rebound.

But....these last two games has reminded us of how potent he can be if given the green light and a little more rope. And he seemingly has his best games against the league's best defenses: OKC, Orlando, and Houston. Can he be our primary scoring option off the bench, assuming Randle and/or Naz gets traded?

What is crazy is 26% of TSJ points for the season came in these last 2 games. That is nuts! The Shannon we saw these last 2 games is what I think everyone thought we would get here and there but he was so bad this season.

The question is do we start believing again or are these 2 games the massive outlier for him because it’s not like he didn’t get opportunities this season.