Minnesota Sports Forum

FNG wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 12:18 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 11:54 am

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 11:48 am

He was a probably a bit lost out there, but I do think he did a good job not fouling Sengun in the 2nd half and staying with him. He also had a nice tap out hustle play that resulted in a missed open three but chance at second chance points. I don't think Joan needs big minutes, but I would consider playing 2-3 minutes at the end of the first quarter, and 2-3 minutes at the end of the 3rd quarter. Have both Rudy and one of Naz/Randle out during those 4-6 minutes per game.

Agreed. Both Clark and Joan rely on defense and hustle, thus the idea of needing more minutes to get into a rythym doesn't apply to them and short stints here and there (that can certainly be extended if playing really well) is easier to pull off versus guys like Dillingham and Shannon.

You guys are correct...he did look good on a couple possessions against Sengun. Yeah, I agree...that might be some value in cutting the minutes of our 3 bigs to give Joan some short stints.

SameOldNudityDrew wrote: ↑Tue Jan 20, 2026 3:26 pm It's impossible not to be excited to see this guy develop. Even if he never really learns to shoot a jump shot or dribble other than in a crab position backing his guy down, he'll still be a valuable player because of his motor, size, good hands, quickness (for his size), and knack for getting his hands on the ball. Any team can use a big defender like that who can rim run, and it seems pretty clear he's on track to provide at least that. Also, he's still so young, you have to think he's going to get stronger at least, even if he doesn't grow another inch. That first summer league game was an eye-opener, and it's been good to see him get some real minutes here, where he can contribute in an area of need.

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sat May 23, 2026 1:26 pm Just take a look at Joan and Ant's stats together this year!
Those 52 minutes are nirvana for the wolves faithful

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat May 23, 2026 4:05 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sat May 23, 2026 1:26 pm Just take a look at Joan and Ant's stats together this year!
Those 52 minutes are nirvana for the wolves faithful

Ant made 5 assists to Joan in those few minutes they played together. He made a paltry 36 assists to Rudy in the nearly 1,500 minutes they played together, which was 20X more minutes than the Ant/Joan pairing. Interesting how Ant suddenly becomes a more willing passer with Joan!

(small sample size caveat of course).

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat May 23, 2026 4:37 pm Ha, we shall see if Ant and Joan become the next Stockton and Malone!

I actually do think we'll be surprised to see that Joan has a much more positive impact on offense than defense even though he was drafted for his defensive potential. He has a really good feel around the hoop, soft hands, and already started developing a little iHart-like push shot.

Unfortunately he may give a lot of his offensive pluses away with his defense - leaving his feet way too much, getting out of position, mis-timing defensive rebounds (he tends to jump to reach for a D-board a split second after the ball sails over his head. Kinda bizarre actually, but a real weakness of his), and fouling. It may take him a 100+ more games of real NBA minutes before his defense gets to neutral or better. I hope I'm wrong though!