Re: Wolves Offseason Forward Options
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2026 10:43 pm
I didn't know Cool was Jonas Brothers fan but I'm here for it!
https://youtu.be/jCD8RHFye80?si=6mLUe4lrJnu0gNAi
https://youtu.be/jCD8RHFye80?si=6mLUe4lrJnu0gNAi
Wolves fan commiserate here!
https://forum.midwestvolleyball.com/phpBB3/
https://forum.midwestvolleyball.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=32293
I didn't know Cool was Jonas Brothers fan but I'm here for it!
We all have to do our part. The GM is counting on us.DNatagal wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2026 5:43 pm I wonder if other NBA team fan boards debate as much about end of bench guys as we do? The number of players that this crew dives into rabbit holes for is incredible. We should have a running list of player 12 to player 15 that someone on this board has championed to see if any have actually amounted to anything in the NBA, or any league for that matter!
I think you got the plan here. The play by all teams who still need someone is LeBron deciding, after that teams will see if any teams are still interested in trading for any excess players before they cut them. Wolves are waiting for the latter to drop. Of course, teams can't wait for LeBron forever.Monster wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2026 10:29 pmLip I spent a few minutes reading some various takes on Sochan from fans and picking through the consensus I found that I wasn't sure just how good of a defender he really was especially on the perimeter. We know fans have good and bad takes but there was enough that seemed to have well thought out balanced info they shared I thought it was worth considering. He makes shots at the rim but outside of 3 feet if falls off drastically. Yes his shot doesn't look terrible and he is young so that's why we have hope for him but let's also be a little realistic here. Player X has nice size some good athletic ability (some fans said his athletic ability often gets overstated) and can't hit 3's and has no other scoring offense. He does have some playmaking passing ability...that describes a lot of G-league players.Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2026 7:48 pm Monster — Perimeter shooting is an issue for Sochan, but defense is not. He’s an excellent defender. Here’s what Gemini had to say about Jeremy’s defense:
Sochan is an elite perimeter and wing defender, widely regarded as a high-impact, lockdown option when tasked with stopping the league's best perimeter creators. [1, 2]
Because his severe offensive shooting struggles limit his role, his calling card in the NBA is entirely built on his high-level defensive utility. [1, 2]
On-Ball Isolation Defense
* Elite Point-of-Attack Skill: He excels in isolation tracking, famously ranking near the top of the league in metrics like the BBall Index isolation defense metric. [1, 2]
* Star Stopper: At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the literal length and lateral quickness to hold his own against premier offensive superstars like Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. [1, 2]
* Disruptive Physicality: Analysts note that Sochan is exceptional at using subtle, legal upper-body contact to knock ball-handlers off their driving lines and disturb their shooting rhythms. [1]
Versatility & Switching
* Positions 1 through 4: He is a highly flexible "mobile forward". He can seamlessly switch screens to guard lightning-fast point guards or absorb contact against physical power forwards like Zion Williamson. [1, 2, 3, 4]
* Foul Discipline: He maintains a balanced low stance with active, high hands, allowing him to effectively contest jump shots without lunging forward or committing cheap fouls. [1]
Regarding his shooting, he actually has a very nice touch near and around the basket. As the video shows, he can hit threes and doesn’t look terrible from distance. In any event, we already have a stretch 4 in Trey Lyles if needed. Moreover, every team can use a high-level disruptive, versatile defender like Sochan and the Wolves are particularly in need of a physical defender like Sochan - something that even Rudy is not. I’m not worried about playing him for stretches with Rudy. We’d still have three excellent 3-point shooters in the floor in Ant, Ball and Jaden (or Ayo for any one of those three). Meanwhile, both Rudy and Sochan can score near the basket with Sochan possessing a lot of mobility and having the ability to step out a little as the video illustrates. Honestly, I don’t think we’ll be able to sign Sochan because I think he’ll command more than the vet minimum in the marketplace, but we should definitely try.
I think if Sochan is being considered there are likely 5-10 other players with similar or maybe even better skillsets that should be considered as well. We don't know who those guys are probably (wadford is a newer name brought up) but I'd guess they are out there. Personally I get the idea that the way Connelly operates that he will be adding some sort of moderately legit player to the roster via trade, FA, a team letting a player go (Hornets have like 18 players under NBA contracts) etc etc. Adding a Watford type player who has some legit NBA experience on a 2-way instead of Freeman tracks with what they have done with the 2 way spots a few times. I'm hoping we can find another Garza that forces his way into a 2 way deal and shows they are at least an NBA player. Idk who that guy is but Garza didn't sing till what a couple weeks or so before training camp started?
If his plan is to try to get away with using Beringer at PF, then he doesn't have a plan.Monster wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2026 10:58 am I watched the first half of game 1 of Summer league. Beringer was pretty good. It's interesting to watch both the live game and the video you see on TV. Finch of course was on talking about the team and players etc.
Anyway I was thinking about what Connelly said about having internal options that are out in left field. I was like hell what if it's playing Beringer at PF? Lip and I have have been talking about Sochan and the guy has way more of a jumper than Beringer (low bar) but he isn't gonna be out there to score. What if Beringer is ready for real NBA minutes? That's a legit leap that idk if I'm comfortable with regardless of spacing and all that stuff but he did look pretty damn good in that half of summer league. The Wolves would still need to add to their frontcourt depth and if Beringer was gonna play at PF then you could maybe look at a floor spacing big even one that is more of a C at this point. Beringer would make more sense in some ways than other options because it seems like this team hasn't really looked to go small. They have played Naz at the 3 at times to get him on the floor. I think the Wolves may play more small at times this year but Joan as a super rangy athletic big at PF for idk like 15mpg ain't the worst idea...if he is remotely ready for real NBA minutes. I'm kinda interested in the possibility. Finch talked about the biggest thing for him is staying out of foul trouble.
In theory his "offense" is being able to handle the ball sole to attack the paint and also be able to use energy and athletic ability to run all over the place getting to the ball etc. To be clear I don't think this is the plan but I do think Beringer is part of the "internal options" he was talking about. My guess is they have some decent options to add a big for at least some reasonably solid depth. I do think that Jon K is right when he says there is a good chance that spot isn't addressed with a real option till in season. At this point it's probably time to just sit back and see what happens.WildWolf2813 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2026 11:04 amIf his plan is to try to get away with using Beringer at PF, then he doesn't have a plan.Monster wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2026 10:58 am I watched the first half of game 1 of Summer league. Beringer was pretty good. It's interesting to watch both the live game and the video you see on TV. Finch of course was on talking about the team and players etc.
Anyway I was thinking about what Connelly said about having internal options that are out in left field. I was like hell what if it's playing Beringer at PF? Lip and I have have been talking about Sochan and the guy has way more of a jumper than Beringer (low bar) but he isn't gonna be out there to score. What if Beringer is ready for real NBA minutes? That's a legit leap that idk if I'm comfortable with regardless of spacing and all that stuff but he did look pretty damn good in that half of summer league. The Wolves would still need to add to their frontcourt depth and if Beringer was gonna play at PF then you could maybe look at a floor spacing big even one that is more of a C at this point. Beringer would make more sense in some ways than other options because it seems like this team hasn't really looked to go small. They have played Naz at the 3 at times to get him on the floor. I think the Wolves may play more small at times this year but Joan as a super rangy athletic big at PF for idk like 15mpg ain't the worst idea...if he is remotely ready for real NBA minutes. I'm kinda interested in the possibility. Finch talked about the biggest thing for him is staying out of foul trouble.
Outside of a little push shot in the paint, Beringer has zero offensive bag to speak of. We just think he could one day because he doesn't have spatulas for hands.
That's an interesting name. I was looking at his stats and his 3 point shooting the last couple years is around 34% he is an excellent FT shooter. I also don't know if he is big enough to play PF or even a SF compared to other guys we already have. It seems a few teams have interest though and he has been playing for typically one of the best teams in Europe in Real Madrid where he was teammates with Lyles and former Nugget PG Facundo Campazzo among other former NBA players or draft picks.
Why on earth does it make sense to sign Hezonja? If the Wolves roster problem is the lack of a true PF, Hezonja certainly doesn’t solve that. He’s a SG/SF with good length for those positions but he’s not a PF. If the point is to add shooting, he doesn’t help much in that area either. In his five NBA seasons he averaged 32% from behind the arc on only 2.5 attempts per game. His NBA career FG shooting was around 41%, which is really bad for a 6’8” SF/SG. He’s not a great athlete and is well past the age where he might have any upside in his game. If we’re just looking for an end-of-been filler, then I guess signing him at the minimum is OK, but there are lots of choices at least as good as him to fill that role. Otherwise, if we’re looking for a rotation PF or possibly a starter ahead of Trey Lyles, Hezonja isn’t it.Monster wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2026 5:36 pmThat's an interesting name. I was looking at his stats and his 3 point shooting the last couple years is around 34% he is an excellent FT shooter. I also don't know if he is big enough to play PF or even a SF compared to other guys we already have. It seems a few teams have interest though and he has been playing for typically one of the best teams in Europe in Real Madrid where he was teammates with Lyles and former Nugget PG Facundo Campazzo among other former NBA players or draft picks.