Iowa Wolves

[Monster]

LOL, of course Martin goes 4-16, 0-6 from 3 in the Iowa Wolves return to action after the break. 9 points in 32 minutes and a -20. Just classic Kelan.

Spellman had 20 points, but it took him 20 shots.

Vanderbilt faired better, with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.

I have a lot more hope for both of those bigs than I do Kelan Martin. The inconsistency to make shots and the lack of anything else worthwhile in his game makes him just short of an NBA-caliber player for me.

Vanderbilt intrigues me, that's for sure. Has the athletic/skill profile of one of those gap-fillers this team could so desperately use. Boards like a monster, has some handles and floor vision, can defend a couple positions. Worth keeping an eye on him.

Im also intrigued. Bobby Marks compared him to Jermi Grant in the pod with Lowe. Said broken foot held him back and now looked really good in G- League and Las Vegas showcase. Not saying he will be anything but im interested.

I don't think Spellman will ever play with wolves. Rumors are he asked out and the wolves aren't calling him up with Towns hurt. Would rather play James Johnson at Center. I think that says something

I watched some Vanderbilt highlights the other night. Keep in mind these are highlights but he has ball handling and passing ability. Think Pascal Siakim when he was a nice role player before he turned into a good player then a freaking all star. Of course I am not suggesting he is going to break out and even be a starting level player but I get why they like him. He plays bigger than his size at times the way he rebounds but he has the handle. KBD played smaller than his measurements and while his game was more like a guard his size didn't show up a lot. Eep in mind KBD didn't do a whole lot till he was mostly healthy and broke out his Jr year. Maybe there is something there with Vanderbilt.

Spellman not playing makes absolutely zero sense to me especially considering what this system wants. This guy has highlights this season just jacking up 3's like he is a heat check guard. Oh and he was actually making them. He is in MUCH better shape than I have ever seen him and he is actually kinda athletic. If he isn't playing there HAS to be something we don't know. Let's see if he is up for this next game. It feels like we may have gotten a Dieng like player kinda good kinda maddening but worthwhile why not play him? Also he is cheap. It looks to me from the stuff I watched of him this season he actually plays a bit like Naz Reid too. This is coming from someone that had pretty much written him off after a meh first season and he looked fat and kinda terrible in summer league

[Monster]

There is a guy that isn't getting talked about for this roster and he is kinda interesting. Who? Barry Brown. His knock coming out of college was he wasn't a scorer or a true PG but he was good in the mid-range and atop perimeter defender but not an amazing athlete. He struggled shorting early on but is now shooting near 40% from 3 and over 44% overall. I don't know if he is defending at a high level but if that's still something he has in his bag and he can shoot 3's from NBA distance...that's a possible interesting Decent bench player. He dropped 35 the other night and here are the highlights. That 3 point shot looks pretty good to me.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VhACcqowfos

[Monster]

Q asked in another thread why Vanderbilt wasn't starting and playing after a nice do shit game in the last game. FWIW James Webb had 20-13 in that game and has some pretty nice numbers when he plays. He isn't a factor in the Wolves future plans but he puts up numbers.

I watched the condensed game. Barry Brown is out there looking like he is Malik Beasley just jacking up 3's looking like a scorer. It's just one season in the g-league but it seems like the Wolves may have developed a shooter at some level.

Wolves added Alex Robinson to the roster probably because McLaughlin ain't coming back anytime soon. He is a PG with some quickness and handles. He wasn't much of a shooter in college but he looks like he was a pretty good passer.

Vanderbilt is intruiging. One thing the Denver guys that talked with Dane Moore said he doesn't have good hands catching the ball. I could see signs of that take being true in a couple plays in this one. Idk what Vanderbilt is but his size length and theoretical skills are interesting.

Condensed games aren't a great way to assess things but Spellman didn't look to great in this one. Dude can really stroke the 3 though.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Vanderbilt with a triple double tonight for Iowa. 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists. Unfortunately he had 6 turnovers as well, something which seems to be a real problem for him. A lot of it comes with his passing, where he tries to thread the needle or get caught off his feet. He definitely has the potential to be a point forward, but he will really have to develop his decision making. The rebounding though....that is the real deal.

[Monster]

Vanderbilt with a triple double tonight for Iowa. 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists. Unfortunately he had 6 turnovers as well, something which seems to be a real problem for him. A lot of it comes with his passing, where he tries to thread the needle or get caught off his feet. He definitely has the potential to be a point forward, but he will really have to develop his decision making. The rebounding though....that is the real deal.

Some of it is he can handle the ball but he is pretty big player but his handle is a little loose and he goes into spots where he loses it. If he plays smarter and tightens things up a bit that will cut it back some. The last condensed game so watched he hit 2 threes and they looked plenty smooth which...honestly surprised me.

The condensed game below gives you a taste of Vaderbuilt's turnovers. They started a pretty big Front court with Vanderbuilt Spellman and Webb. Brown and Wigginton are small in the backcourt.

https://youtu.be/5HpnmsnhYEg

Another good shooting game for Spellman from 3.

Brown continues to put up points. Wigginton is a scorer but looks like he is playing more of a traditional PG role although it looks like everyone handles the ball. If Wigginton could learn to be decent at running an offense he would be interesting. Brown looks like Beasley or Nowell our there just easily scoring buckets. If this is real at this level he is goin to have a bunch of nice offers for other leagues.

[Monster]

I see Spellman had a triple double against the Warriors. Q I saw in the Pels game report you watched this game. I'd be curious some of your thoughts on players. Jacob Evans looks so small. My guy Barry Brown had another nice game. Vanderbilt filled up lots of stats...good and bad.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I see Spellman had a triple double against the Warriors. Q I saw in the Pels game report you watched this game. I'd be curious some of your thoughts on players. Jacob Evans looks so small. My guy Barry Brown had another nice game. Vanderbilt filled up lots of stats...good and bad.

Spellman should absolutely be on an NBA team right now. That being said, he would do nothing to help our defensive woes. From the couple games I've watched, he does very little to protect the paint. Offensively, he's a pretty gifted player.

Vanderbilt is a work in progress. He absolutely has all the physical traits needed to be an elite role player that can rebound, rim run, defend, handle the ball some, find the open guy, etc. I think he has the highest upside of any 1st/2nd year player we have on the roster right now. He could absolutely be an elite role playing PF in the mold of Draymond Green, Andrei Kirilenko, or Shawn Marion. Again, that is his tippy-top upside...not saying it's highly likely.

Defensively, he sometimes doesn't keep himself square and finds himself sideways and out of position. But otherwise, he can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. One thing I noticed in the G league is how far he can sag off his guy, but then recover and contest the outside shot when the ball is swung over. He's very long and very athletic and can be a disruptive presence.

Offensively, most of his points come in the open floor, off cuts to the basket, or on offensive rebounds. He isn't a shooter and has very little in the way of a mid-range or post game (at least from what I can tell). He is probably the most dangerous when he gets a defensive rebound and then pushes the ball up the floor himself. He can absolutely do this, but also gets a little sloppy in the James Johnson kind of way with some of his passes.

In an ideal world, the Wolves find a 3&D wing to start at SF and Vanderbilt ultimately becomes the defensive jack-of-all-trades PF that can play next to KAT in the Rosas system. His lack of an outside shot isn't as much of a concern if the other four guys can shoot.

[Monster]

I see Spellman had a triple double against the Warriors. Q I saw in the Pels game report you watched this game. I'd be curious some of your thoughts on players. Jacob Evans looks so small. My guy Barry Brown had another nice game. Vanderbilt filled up lots of stats...good and bad.

Spellman should absolutely be on an NBA team right now. That being said, he would do nothing to help our defensive woes. From the couple games I've watched, he does very little to protect the paint. Offensively, he's a pretty gifted player.

Vanderbilt is a work in progress. He absolutely has all the physical traits needed to be an elite role player that can rebound, rim run, defend, handle the ball some, find the open guy, etc. I think he has the highest upside of any 1st/2nd year player we have on the roster right now. He could absolutely be an elite role playing PF in the mold of Draymond Green, Andrei Kirilenko, or Shawn Marion. Again, that is his tippy-top upside...not saying it's highly likely.

Defensively, he sometimes doesn't keep himself square and finds himself sideways and out of position. But otherwise, he can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. One thing I noticed in the G league is how far he can sag off his guy, but then recover and contest the outside shot when the ball is swung over. He's very long and very athletic and can be a disruptive presence.

Offensively, most of his points come in the open floor, off cuts to the basket, or on offensive rebounds. He isn't a shooter and has very little in the way of a mid-range or post game (at least from what I can tell). He is probably the most dangerous when he gets a defensive rebound and then pushes the ball up the floor himself. He can absolutely do this, but also gets a little sloppy in the James Johnson kind of way with some of his passes.

In an ideal world, the Wolves find a 3&D wing to start at SF and Vanderbilt ultimately becomes the defensive jack-of-all-trades PF that can play next to KAT in the Rosas system. His lack of an outside shot isn't as much of a concern if the other four guys can shoot.

Thanks for that breakdown Q.

It's condensed games but I've gotten the same feeling about Spellman defensively. I've also seen Vanderbilt simply watch plays in the paint unfold doing nothing. This is more off broken plays etc and I think both guys put forth effort but for Vanderbilt it's probably experience/knowing what to do more than motor issues. There was a play where Vanderbilt kept a rebound off the Wolves missed FT that Spellman ended up with for a bucket. That's the kind of plays he can make and Spellman gets after it also from what I can gather.

I'm curious did you see anything worthwhile from Jacob Evans? I'm more asking in a...can we write this guy off and someone we should move on from than in a hopeful way.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Evans can defend, but can't shoot. We already have that base covered with Culver and Okogie, so I just don't see a fit for him unless he develops a 3-pt shot.

Barry Brown on the other hand is showing some real shooting and scoring chops since McLaughlin and Nowell got promoted. Again though, he plays a position that we already have depth in so I just don't know if there will ultimately be a place for him on our roster next season.

I think the guy we haven't seen enough of on the big league is Nowell. Part of me wonders if he ultimately can be a better 2-way SG than Beasley. Rosas should be getting a longer look at Nowell before signing Beasley to a huge contract this offseason. We can't afford to have three starters at huge salaries that can't defend. If Nowell's 3-point shooting comes around, he may be a better long term option at a much cheaper price. Then we can look at spending $ on the forward positions.

[Monster]

Evans can defend, but can't shoot. We already have that base covered with Culver and Okogie, so I just don't see a fit for him unless he develops a 3-pt shot.

Barry Brown on the other hand is showing some real shooting and scoring chops since McLaughlin and Nowell got promoted. Again though, he plays a position that we already have depth in so I just don't know if there will ultimately be a place for him on our roster next season.

I think the guy we haven't seen enough of on the big league is Nowell. Part of me wonders if he ultimately can be a better 2-way SG than Beasley. Rosas should be getting a longer look at Nowell before signing Beasley to a huge contract this offseason. We can't afford to have three starters at huge salaries that can't defend. If Nowell's 3-point shooting comes around, he may be a better long term option at a much cheaper price. Then we can look at spending $ on the forward positions.

good stuff Q

Evans looks smaller than Okogie and Culver too. He has a guaranteed contract so...they may keep giving him a chance even if it's just at Iowa next year. How much they have to pay Beasley might effect whether they have enough financial ability to cut him and bring in another player. I don't think it would be a big problem it's not that much money but we will see.

It's certainly curious in some ways that Nowell hasn't gotten more looks. My guess is defense. Martin doesn't suck at defense and plays hard etc. I'm not saying Nowell sucks or doesn't play hard but that's what I do see from Martin. Nowell has more ball handling ability at least in theory than Beasley although I could see Beasley developing a bit more ability to attack with the dribble than he has right now. Ideally the Wolves get Beasley signed for a contract that still has positive value and Nowell becomes at least as good if not better player...and Beasley develops into a better player than he is now! Rainbows and kittens and puppy's for everyone! Lol

Barry Brown I think what is gonna hurt him is he is not really a PG more of a combo guy. Still he is bigger than a guy like Barea or Napier so that type can have a place in the league. I could see some team picking him up and he ends up succeeding next season in a similar way McLaughlin has if there is an opportunity. What would you think about the Wolves signing Brown to a 2-way deal even if they don't have a direct path for him? Do you think he can defend at all or doesn't that translate at this level? I'm thinking one path to him being on the current roster going forward would be sort of a cheap combo guard/3rd PG type that can defend a bit and at least score. That's not insanely valuable but i'll take it if (lots of ifs...) he was an actual NBA player. We haven't seen that much from this franchise that's why it's hard not to get kinda giddy this season when guys that aren't drafted etc actually look like they can play! I need to watch some full games to see Brownin actual game action. It's weird that I'm gravitating to learning about him as much as anyone else even Vanderbilt who is obviously a more interesting upside prospect.