Minnesota Sports Forum

I didn't see Kek on the GDT, so I'll take a shot at last night's grades:

JMac A Moved the ball, disruptive on defense, made his threes, and was a +7
SloMo A Great defense, made a three, and protected the ball. +13
Naz B+ Great scoring game, but didn't like the 4 turnovers
NAW B Uninspired offensive game, but terrific as always on defense
Jaden B I didn't like the -15, but I thought he played an excellent game
Rudy C+ Intimidated them inside and had 18 boards, but 1-6 shooting is unacceptable
KAT C Dort defends him well, but he needs to find a way to get more than 10 shots
Ant C- A very mixed performance. Like the 19-5-5, but hate the 5 turnovers and missed free throws
BiteBite F There's other way to put it...we win this one if he plays a normal game

Finchie B: Some good play calls out of time outs. but we missed the shots. Found a way to get JMac involved when SGA was out.

FNG wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 8:26 am I didn't see Kek on the GDT, so I'll take a shot at last night's grades:

JMac A Moved the ball, disruptive on defense, made his threes, and was a +7
SloMo A Great defense, made a three, and protected the ball. +13
Naz B+ Great scoring game, but didn't like the 4 turnovers
NAW B Uninspired offensive game, but terrific as always on defense
Jaden B I didn't like the -15, but I thought he played an excellent game
Rudy C+ Intimidated them inside and had 18 boards, but 1-6 shooting is unacceptable
KAT C Dort defends him well, but he needs to find a way to get more than 10 shots
Ant C- A very mixed performance. Like the 19-5-5, but hate the 5 turnovers and missed free throws
BiteBite F There's other way to put it...we win this one if he plays a normal game

Finchie B: Some good play calls out of time outs. but we missed the shots. Found a way to get JMac involved when SGA was out.

My box score grades align with your grades, FNG. I read some posts in the GDT blaming turnovers for our loss last night. I won’t disagree but I’ll also note it’s no longer a relevant evaluation criterion for the Wolves. We’re beyond the half-way point of the season and the team continues to be highly turnover prone. That’s not going to change this season or in the playoffs. That means this team can’t afford a 1-11 shooting night from Conley or a 1-6 shooting night from Rudy. If Conley had simply hit hit 3 of his 11 shots (still poor shooting) and Rudy 2 of his 6 shots (still terrible considering where he takes his shots), the Wolves would have won the game even with all the turnovers and Ant missing 4 free throws.

The Wolves defense continues to be stellar and their rebounding very good. But if this team is going to be a true championship contender this season, they’ll have to do it in spite of turnovers. And they’re not going to win a championship scoring less than 100 points. They really need a three-point marksman/offensive spark plug off the bench beyond Naz. They also need to either bring in an upgrade at the backup PG position or rely on JMac more in that role and see what he can do with far more minutes and a more prominent role in the rotation.

I continue to have profound doubts about this team making the NBA finals much less winning a championship. I can also see this team getting matched up against the Pelicans in the first round and getting bounced before they even make the second round. Maybe it’s PTSD as a long-time Minnesota sports fan. But as much I’ve enjoyed watching the Wolves this season, I fear a major disappointment around the corner in the playoffs.