Minnesota Sports Forum

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:07 pm

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 1:44 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 1:18 pm

I'll reiterate that I wasn't able to watch the game last night so I can't over much perspective from this one, however it is without question that Ant's defense has been worse this year- to an unacceptable degree.

It sucks too because just when I was starting to feel encouraged by the last few games since OKC, the consistency still isn't there.

I don't think his on/off numbers are totally a dismissible, but I'm not convinced they paint the whole picture. I realized last night that he has to play nearly the entirety of the minutes Rudy is off the floor- which means he sharing the floor with Naz and Randle and that God awful, untenable defense. When Rudy left the floor last night in the 1st, Ant was at +1 or a 0 I think. Within minutes that went away. Ant isn't entirely absolved of any blame here but it helps to illustrate the gap between these specific stats and the obvious meaning he has to this team- they beat Memphis if he plays, they're not close against Denver if he doesn't play.

I have a hard time believing that this is simply a matter of disinterest on defense, even if there isn't enough seriousness given to that side of the ball by Ant and Julius. The offensive load on his plate is enormous right now and I don't find it at all coincidental that one of Ant's best, most complete games came against the Knicks when Conley both started and played well.

If this team wants unlock his two way brilliance, at least part of the answer lies in finding a real PG.... I don't know how that accomplished but this roster is broken in my opinion, immensely talented, but broken

I agree, it's a combo of Ant having to take a bigger load on offense and not really caring about beating a Nets team on a late December night.

It's not like he can't do it either. We've seen him play like the best player in the world in spurts. How he blocked that shot at Indiana last year (hitting head on backboard), how he finished against OKC with a dagger three and defensive stops. He can play elite defense, as good as any guard in the NBA in my mind. But most of the time it's subpar.

I believe, with a fair amount of certainty, that if the coaching staff told him- "this is what we need you to do, be the best defender on the court and be a play finisher on offense"- he would respond well to the challenge.
But right now he's being asked to play multiple roles on offense and, in my opinion, is of the belief that he can toggle on elite defense when he needs to but doesn't always have to.
From an energy conservation standpoint, it makes some sense, but he overrates how easy it is for him to just suddenly play great defense and clearly doesn't see how being impactful off the ball can as crucial if not more crucial than great point of attack defense

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:43 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:07 pm

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 1:44 pm

I agree, it's a combo of Ant having to take a bigger load on offense and not really caring about beating a Nets team on a late December night.

It's not like he can't do it either. We've seen him play like the best player in the world in spurts. How he blocked that shot at Indiana last year (hitting head on backboard), how he finished against OKC with a dagger three and defensive stops. He can play elite defense, as good as any guard in the NBA in my mind. But most of the time it's subpar.

I believe, with a fair amount of certainty, that if the coaching staff told him- "this is what we need you to do, be the best defender on the court and be a play finisher on offense"- he would respond well to the challenge.
But right now he's being asked to play multiple roles on offense and, in my opinion, is of the belief that he can toggle on elite defense when he needs to but doesn't always have to.
From an energy conservation standpoint, it makes some sense, but he overrates how easy it is for him to just suddenly play great defense and clearly doesn't see how being impactful off the ball can as crucial if not more crucial than great point of attack defense

I think we all expect more, because we know he can do it at least one on one defense, shot blocking, rebounding. We've seen Ant have double digit rebounding games hell he averages over 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs the past two seasons. (Jaden also showed last year that he can rebound a lot better as well) But even what Ant is giving is better than a lot of players are giving, he's no Trae Young, Joker, or Luka level bad on defense. I think he's better than SGA on defense, and some consider SGA a pretty good defender. If you put Cason Wallace next to Ant in the starting lineup instead of Donte, I think were the best defense in the league even with Julius. SGA has a lot of great defenders on his team where he can just blend in and get some steals.

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 4:13 pm

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:43 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:07 pm

I believe, with a fair amount of certainty, that if the coaching staff told him- "this is what we need you to do, be the best defender on the court and be a play finisher on offense"- he would respond well to the challenge.
But right now he's being asked to play multiple roles on offense and, in my opinion, is of the belief that he can toggle on elite defense when he needs to but doesn't always have to.
From an energy conservation standpoint, it makes some sense, but he overrates how easy it is for him to just suddenly play great defense and clearly doesn't see how being impactful off the ball can as crucial if not more crucial than great point of attack defense

I think we all expect more, because we know he can do it at least one on one defense, shot blocking, rebounding. We've seen Ant have double digit rebounding games hell he averages over 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs the past two seasons. (Jaden also showed last year that he can rebound a lot better as well) But even what Ant is giving is better than a lot of players are giving, he's no Trae Young, Joker, or Luka level bad on defense. I think he's better than SGA on defense, and some consider SGA a pretty good defender. If you put Cason Wallace next to Ant in the starting lineup instead of Donte, I think were the best defense in the league even with Julius. SGA has a lot of great defenders on his team where he can just blend in and get some steals.

I'll respectfully disagree on several points here.

Ant's peak defense might be among the best in the league but he rarely reached it, Shai is much better defender than Ant.

Ant's defense is like most of his game wherein his successes are incredibly flashy and in my opinion over represent how good he is on that end. He's best 1 on 1, but too often has lapses off the ball or will play too far off his assignment, or is late on rotations.

I really believe he would benefit immensely by giving more attention to this aspect of the game, he would burn less energy on defense but still impact the game at a high level. At the moment he seems to think he has to gear up to 120 mph to have a positive impact on defense, and he can't maintain that pace

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 4:13 pm

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:43 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:07 pm

I believe, with a fair amount of certainty, that if the coaching staff told him- "this is what we need you to do, be the best defender on the court and be a play finisher on offense"- he would respond well to the challenge.
But right now he's being asked to play multiple roles on offense and, in my opinion, is of the belief that he can toggle on elite defense when he needs to but doesn't always have to.
From an energy conservation standpoint, it makes some sense, but he overrates how easy it is for him to just suddenly play great defense and clearly doesn't see how being impactful off the ball can as crucial if not more crucial than great point of attack defense

I think we all expect more, because we know he can do it at least one on one defense, shot blocking, rebounding. We've seen Ant have double digit rebounding games hell he averages over 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs the past two seasons. (Jaden also showed last year that he can rebound a lot better as well) But even what Ant is giving is better than a lot of players are giving, he's no Trae Young, Joker, or Luka level bad on defense. I think he's better than SGA on defense, and some consider SGA a pretty good defender. If you put Cason Wallace next to Ant in the starting lineup instead of Donte, I think were the best defense in the league even with Julius. SGA has a lot of great defenders on his team where he can just blend in and get some steals.

I'll respectfully disagree on several points here.

Ant's peak defense might be among the best in the league but he rarely reached it, Shai is much better defender than Ant.

Ant's defense is like most of his game wherein his successes are incredibly flashy and in my opinion over represent how good he is on that end. He's best 1 on 1, but too often has lapses off the ball or will play too far off his assignment, or is late on rotations.

I really believe he would benefit immensely by giving more attention to this aspect of the game, he would burn less energy on defense but still impact the game at a high level. At the moment he seems to think he has to gear up to 120 mph to have a positive impact on defense, and he can't maintain that pace

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 6:38 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 4:13 pm

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:43 pm

I think we all expect more, because we know he can do it at least one on one defense, shot blocking, rebounding. We've seen Ant have double digit rebounding games hell he averages over 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs the past two seasons. (Jaden also showed last year that he can rebound a lot better as well) But even what Ant is giving is better than a lot of players are giving, he's no Trae Young, Joker, or Luka level bad on defense. I think he's better than SGA on defense, and some consider SGA a pretty good defender. If you put Cason Wallace next to Ant in the starting lineup instead of Donte, I think were the best defense in the league even with Julius. SGA has a lot of great defenders on his team where he can just blend in and get some steals.

I'll respectfully disagree on several points here.

Ant's peak defense might be among the best in the league but he rarely reached it, Shai is much better defender than Ant.

Ant's defense is like most of his game wherein his successes are incredibly flashy and in my opinion over represent how good he is on that end. He's best 1 on 1, but too often has lapses off the ball or will play too far off his assignment, or is late on rotations.

I really believe he would benefit immensely by giving more attention to this aspect of the game, he would burn less energy on defense but still impact the game at a high level. At the moment he seems to think he has to gear up to 120 mph to have a positive impact on defense, and he can't maintain that pace

Effort wise yes SGA is better. SGA doesn't guard Ant or Randle when he plays the Wolves, he doesn't guard Luka, Austin, or Lebron when he plays the Lakers, doesn't guard any teams best players. SGA's job on defense is to guard the 4th or 5th best player on the court for the other teams.

FNG wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:13 am

60WinTim wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 10:55 am Okay, FNG, I just finished up quarter #1. I saw nothing from ANT on the defensive end that caused me to blame him for a breakdown. What I did see was a bunch of turnovers and ill-advised shots from Randle. I saw a zero paint protection when Rudy went to the bench (along with Jaden). And NAZ and Clark were giving up And-1s up the wazoo. I'm sure there were defensive lapses from ANT later in the game, but the game was already lost by the shit going on in the 1st quarter.

Randle was acquired in part for his playmaking ability. I am ready to swap out that playmaking ability for some better paint protection. Jaden's playmaking has improved. Donte is good at keeping the ball moving. If TC can move Randle and acquire some paint protection and another playmaker in the backcourt, I think we would be a more consistent team.

I was close to throwing things at the TV a couple times...there were numerous possessions where he just didn't seem to care at all on defense. 32 games into the season, the numbers don't lie if the eye test isn't sufficient. He is such a prolific efficient scorer, it's hard to understand why we consistently get outscored when he is out there. But as I pay more attention to him on defense rather than my usual habit of following the ball everywhere, the answer becomes painfully clear. So much athletic ability, but so disinterested in defense.

As for Randle, I share the board's unhappiness with him currently. After a blazing start to the season, he has reverted to being a far below average 3-point shooter...and he keeps trying them at ill-advised times. But if we move him (and I am not opposed), we had better get a good assist guy in return. Ju had 11 assists last night and continues to lead the team in assists from his PF position. And his assist to turnover ratio is better than 2 to 1 for the first time in his career. Let's move him if it makes us better, but we may find it difficult to replace his 22.7/7/5.7. But similar to Ant, it won't be difficult to replace his defense...the fact that we are still top 10 in DRtg with these two lazy defenders on the court makes me appreciate Rudy, Jaden and Donte all the more!