Saric and Covington

[Lipoli390]

So far, Wolves fans can't help but be happy with these two guys as the return for Butler. Covington, in particular, has been tremendous - as a defender, 3-point shooter, rebounder and leader. I like some of what I've seen from Saric. He's smart and gives great effort. But the key to him being a keeper is his 3-point shooting and that remains a big question mark.

Saric has a 35% career 3-point average, but that's a bit misleading because it's driven largely be his 39% shooting from behind the arc his second season. But if you look at his entire career, Saric's three-point shooting that season looks like it might have been an anomaly. Saric shot only 31% from behind the arc his first season. His third season he hit only 30.5% of his three pointers and so far this season he's hitting about 30.5% from behind the arc. So his norm appears to be around 30%. I'm still hoping his second season turns out to be a much better representation of his three-point shooting going forward. But so far, the evidence suggests otherwise. Because without really good three-point shooting in his game, Saric is very mediocre.

[BloopOracle]

Robert Covington is the greatest defender not named Kevin Garnett in Timberwolves franchise history

[thedoper]

From what I've seen Saric is a better rebounder, defender, and a smarter offensive player than what Taj has been giving us this year. Quality 3 pt shooting makes him a huge asset, but for now I'll take the upgrading our bigs at a position of future need.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

Saric isnt the most athletic guy, but he is smart and decisive.

Half our problems on the defensive up until now was indecisiveness of our bigs and getting stuck between 2.

[Lipoli390]

From what I've seen Saric is a better rebounder, defender, and a smarter offensive player than what Taj has been giving us this year. Quality 3 pt shooting makes him a huge asset, but for now I'll take the upgrading our bigs at a position of future need.

Doper - I like Saric's basketball IQ and effort. But I wouldn't say he's a better rebounder, defender and smarter offensive player than Taj. I think he has a more versitle offensive skill set than Taj, but he doesn't look smarter overall. Saric is obviously much younger with more potential growth in his game. So there's not question I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj if given the choice. But I see Saric right now as a question market. Whether he was worth holding out for in the Philly trade depends largely on what Saric becomes, not what he is now. The good news is that Covington has been tremendous and should have a lot of years left having just turned 28 with relatively few miles on his body compared to many NBA players his age. And Saric is solid with the potential to be more.

[thedoper]

From what I've seen Saric is a better rebounder, defender, and a smarter offensive player than what Taj has been giving us this year. Quality 3 pt shooting makes him a huge asset, but for now I'll take the upgrading our bigs at a position of future need.

Doper - I like Saric's basketball IQ and effort. But I wouldn't say he's a better rebounder, defender and smarter offensive player than Taj. I think he has a more versitle offensive skill set than Taj, but he doesn't look smarter overall. Saric is obviously much younger with more potential growth in his game. So there's not question I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj if given the choice. But I see Saric right now as a question market. Whether he was worth holding out for in the Philly trade depends largely on what Saric becomes, not what he is now. The good news is that Covington has been tremendous and should have a lot of years left having just turned 28 with relatively few miles on his body compared to many NBA players his age. And Saric is solid with the potential to be more.

I said this year about Taj for a reason. Taj has been great for us but he's on the decline. This year hes been even slower on rotations and less impactful on the boards. He doesn't really score to begin with. He's had the worst net rating of all of our starters so far this year. I think it's pretty straightforward that Saric is the better option already. The only thing Taj seems to do better is stay out of the way. But I'd rather have someone really engaging in the play than just complimenting.

[Lipoli390]

From what I've seen Saric is a better rebounder, defender, and a smarter offensive player than what Taj has been giving us this year. Quality 3 pt shooting makes him a huge asset, but for now I'll take the upgrading our bigs at a position of future need.

Doper - I like Saric's basketball IQ and effort. But I wouldn't say he's a better rebounder, defender and smarter offensive player than Taj. I think he has a more versitle offensive skill set than Taj, but he doesn't look smarter overall. Saric is obviously much younger with more potential growth in his game. So there's not question I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj if given the choice. But I see Saric right now as a question market. Whether he was worth holding out for in the Philly trade depends largely on what Saric becomes, not what he is now. The good news is that Covington has been tremendous and should have a lot of years left having just turned 28 with relatively few miles on his body compared to many NBA players his age. And Saric is solid with the potential to be more.

I said this year about Taj for a reason. Taj has been great for us but he's on the decline. This year hes been even slower on rotations and less impactful on the boards. He doesn't really score to begin with. He's had the worst net rating of all of our starters so far this year. I think it's pretty straightforward that Saric is the better option already. The only thing Taj seems to do better is stay out of the way. But I'd rather have someone really engaging in the play than just complimenting.

I see what you're saying, Doper. I've noticed that Taj isn't the player he was last season. I still don't see the drop-off you see between the two this season. But like I said, I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj just based on Saric's potential. As it happens, Saric is already eating into Taj's minutes. Fewer minutes for Taj will actually improve his game while allowing Saric more opportunity for development. Another thing I noticed is how tall Saric is. He's definitely taller than I thought with pretty long arms. He's definitely taller than Gibson and he might be as tall as KAT.

[Monster]

From what I've seen Saric is a better rebounder, defender, and a smarter offensive player than what Taj has been giving us this year. Quality 3 pt shooting makes him a huge asset, but for now I'll take the upgrading our bigs at a position of future need.

Doper - I like Saric's basketball IQ and effort. But I wouldn't say he's a better rebounder, defender and smarter offensive player than Taj. I think he has a more versitle offensive skill set than Taj, but he doesn't look smarter overall. Saric is obviously much younger with more potential growth in his game. So there's not question I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj if given the choice. But I see Saric right now as a question market. Whether he was worth holding out for in the Philly trade depends largely on what Saric becomes, not what he is now. The good news is that Covington has been tremendous and should have a lot of years left having just turned 28 with relatively few miles on his body compared to many NBA players his age. And Saric is solid with the potential to be more.

I said this year about Taj for a reason. Taj has been great for us but he's on the decline. This year hes been even slower on rotations and less impactful on the boards. He doesn't really score to begin with. He's had the worst net rating of all of our starters so far this year. I think it's pretty straightforward that Saric is the better option already. The only thing Taj seems to do better is stay out of the way. But I'd rather have someone really engaging in the play than just complimenting.

I see what you're saying, Doper. I've noticed that Taj isn't the player he was last season. I still don't see the drop-off you see between the two this season. But like I said, I'd take Saric in a heartbeat over Taj just based on Saric's potential. As it happens, Saric is already eating into Taj's minutes. Fewer minutes for Taj will actually improve his game while allowing Saric more opportunity for development. Another thing I noticed is how tall Saric is. He's definitely taller than I thought with pretty long arms. He's definitely taller than Gibson and he might be as tall as KAT.

I think Saric's rebounding goes beyond his raw stats. I think he has a more positive effect on the team while he is out there. He is bigger and stronger than Taj. Jim Pete mentioned the rebounding percentage is better when he is on the floor. I don't think Taj has taken a step back but I honestly think Saric might be better. The one area I'd still rather have Taj is a switch against a guard. Saric actually isn't bad either but Taj still moves better and is a better shot blocker. It's good to have both guys and Tolliver if one can't play for some reason. Remember when we didn't have any modern PFs? It's like we are living in some sort of luxury. Lol

[Monster]

Jimmy Butler is a hell of a player and you need high level offensive players to be a legit contender. HOWEVER assuming he gets something around a max level deal I don't know if he is worth basically triple what Covington is gonna be making. Covington's defense has been so good he would be worth his contract based on what we have seen on that end even if he couldn't shoot. Oh but he can take and make 3's. It's still early but damn he is looking good.

[rapsuperstar31]

From Zack Lowe's 10 things article today.

"The analytics department in Philadelphia influences coaching decisions, so there must be sound math behind unleashing Saric to hunt offensive rebounds.

Saric is one of the sneakiest outside-in foragers in the league. Half-ass a box-out, and Saric slithers around you:"
"The Wolves, always hungry for offensive rebounds under Tom Thibodeau, have welcomed Saric's scavenging. In 77 minutes with Saric and Karl-Anthony Towns sharing the floor, Minnesota has inhaled 36 percent of its own misses -- a top-5-percentile figure among 1,500-plus duos that have logged at least 50 minutes, per NBA.com. (Can we please see a little more of the Saric-Towns duo, Thibs?)

Saric is one of the league's unheralded chameleons. He fills gaps wherever they are in any lineup."