Game Report - Wolves v. Maccabi Haifa

[Lipoli390]

OK, finally got to see the new-look Wolves live and in person. It was the smallest crowd I've ever seen at a Wolves game, including the intra-squad scrimmages I've seen there in prior seasons. But the game itself was really entertaining.

Before discussing the game, I thought I'd share a few sidelights. First, the Rosas family was sitting 2 rows directly in front of us - wife, kids and other relatives. Gersson came over to talk with them in the 3rd quarter before heading back to his seat next to Gupta in the press area. As he headed back to his seat, he tapped the guy sitting directly in front of me on the shoulder, asking him how he's doing and saying it was nice to see him again. The guy in front of me was surprised. He said he met him at the State Fare and shook his hand. Pretty impressive that Gersson remembered him and made a point of acknowledging him. I shook his hand and wished him luck. Ryan's sister was in our section as well. She's a super extrovert like her dad.

As for the team and the game, it was fun to be there. Obviously, tonight's competition wasn't NBA caliber. But you could still get a pretty good sense of the Wolves' new style of play as well the skills/talents of some of the new players. First of all, it was so pleasant to see a Wolves team coached to keep the ball moving. Dribbling was kept to a minimum and when players put the ball on the floor it was with a purpose. Second, all the Wolves players were clearly prioritizing drives to the hoop and 3-point shots. I recall some changes in style beginning to show in games last season after Ryan took over. But you can see the new style has taken root after a full training camp with Ryan and his own coaching staff at the helm.

As for individual Wolves players, the ones who stood out as particularly impressive were Graham, Layman, Napier and Naz Reid.

Graham was really good on both ends. He's big, strong, aggressive, athletic and skilled. He's also smart. He reminded me a bit of Covington, but with a better handle and more of a dribble-drive game.

Watching Layman, I have to admit I'm embarrassed that I mocked him recently in another thread when someone referred to him as the Wolves 5th starter. He is really fast and light on his feet. His shot is a thing of beauty with picture-perfect form. But what impressed me the most was his defense. He was absolutely terrific on that end of the floor. He was also vocal on the floor, directing Vonleh a couple times on the offensive end.

Napier was darting all over the court on both ends. He showed non-stop energy and an impressive attacking style of play. He's definitely our #1 or #1a PG behind Teague, but I could see him eventually as our #2 PG with Culver stepping in with major minutes at PG.

Naz Reid is a beast. But he's a beast who can bring the ball up the court and make guard-like passes for assists. And he can hit threes, although his shooting form is a bit weird. He's actually quite fast on his feet. He looked like he's in much better shape than he was in Summer League and he consistently hustled. You could see his speed and hustle when he ran back to block a shot on a break-away, ultimately getting called for foul because one of his hands touched the shooter's shoulder.

Nowell wasn't hitting his shots, but he really impressed me on the defensive end. He was smart, aggressive and quick defensively. He stuck to his man like glue and never once bought on a pump fake. He had Okogie-like energy and quickness on that end, but was smarter that Okogie in the way he executed. As for his 3-point shot, he consistently hit the front of the rim, but was otherwise on target. So for him I think it's just a matter of getting used to the NBA three-point line. After watching him tonight, I'm even more convinced he's going to be an excellent NBA player.

I also liked Culver and Okogie tonight. Culver is smooth and smart. He looks really thin in person, but he also looks long and he plays with nice pace and fluidity. I do see some Brandon Roy in his game. But unfortunately, unlike Roy in his rookie season, Culver's perimeter shot is a major work in progress. I really liked his defense tonight. Okogie finally looks like he's beginning to slow things down a bit offensively. Otherwise, he showed his defensive prowess tonight.

Vonleh looked OK. And I really liked the little we saw from Wigginton tonight. I also liked the way McLaughlin played tonight, reminding me of his play in Summer League. The bench erupted every time McLaughlin scored driving to the hoop. The whole team seemed to be having a lot of fun tonight.

I'm not sure why KBD didn't get any playing time tonight. And I'm wondering why Kelan Martin hasn't gotten any preseason minutes thus far. Murphy and Wallace didn't look bad tonight, but I don't see either one making the final regular season roster.

The Wolves currently have 20 players on their roster - two of them on two-way contacts (Martin and McLaughlin). That means the Wolves will need to cut 3 of their current roster players by the start of the season. If I were to make that decision based solely on tonight's game, I'd release both Wallace and Murphy. But that third and final cut will be really difficult. Right now, I'd predict that Wigginton ends up released before the season starts.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

Nice to see the game reports back.

Kbd has back spasms i think, so was held out.

Martin not playing has been a mystery.

[kekgeek]

KBD had back spasms

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Nice to see the game reports back.

Kbd has back spasms i think, so was held out.

Martin not playing has been a mystery.

It is a mystery, especially since he'd instantly be one of our top 5 3-point shooters.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Good stuff Lip. I am happy to hear the continued positivity on Naz Reid. I still have my concerns, but he seems to have a real intriguing skill set and is very young still.

I love Lip's take on Nowell: "As for his 3-point shot, he consistently hit the front of the rim, but was otherwise on target." Hope springs eternal!

[kekgeek]

Good stuff Lip. I am happy to hear the continued positivity on Naz Reid. I still have my concerns, but he seems to have a real intriguing skill set and is very young still.

I love Lip's take on Nowell: "As for his 3-point shot, he consistently hit the front of the rim, but was otherwise on target." Hope springs eternal!

Hey one of these days we will develop a 3 point sniper. I'm convinced of it

[Lipoli390]

Good stuff Lip. I am happy to hear the continued positivity on Naz Reid. I still have my concerns, but he seems to have a real intriguing skill set and is very young still.

I love Lip's take on Nowell: "As for his 3-point shot, he consistently hit the front of the rim, but was otherwise on target." Hope springs eternal!

Lol. Hey, at least he didn't put up any air balls. The thing with Okogie and the little we've seen of Culver so far this preseason is that their 3-point shots are all over the place from shot to shot. Their shots always have plenty of distance. Sometimes their shots look really nice and touch nothing but net, while other times they miss wildly. Culver hit a nice looking three last night, but also put up an air-ball from deep. Nowell really did look accurate and consistent, but unfortunately his accuracy was at the front of the rim. :) It's a simply matter for him to adjust to the slightly longer distance from the NBA arc. We'll see what happens.

[BloopOracle]

After watching this off-season and the first 3 pre-season games it's safe to say the Wolves are going to harness the power of friendship and make a improbable run to the playoffs

[Coolbreeze44]

After watching this off-season and the first 3 pre-season games it's safe to say the Wolves are going to harness the power of friendship and make a improbable run to the playoffs

Laughed out loud at this. :d

[Leado01]

I will say it was great to see Jake Layman block a shot on one end, and get out ahead of the fast break on the other end and take a great pass from Napoer