Current Roster surrounding Ant
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 12:36 pm
While Ant has not made the leap to superstar, and if anything has regressed a bit, I still believe the Wolves have no option other than to ride out the next few years with Ant as the focal point of roster construction.
On the current roster, I would categorize folks into these categories: Keep (compliments Ant), Must Go (doesn't compliment Ant), Can't Keep (won't be affordable even if we want him), and Question Mark (meaning we just don't know yet or it depends on other factors).
Keep:
Rudy Gobert - Rudy is not the ideal Center for Ant offensively since after multiple years Ant is mostly unable or unwilling to find him for easy dunks, but he sets killer screens and is a walking top 10 defense. Rudy's weaknesses get exacerbated when he is surrounded by other poor shooters. Perhaps if the floor opens up more, it will be easier for Ant to find Rudy on the roll.
Naz Reid - Assuming we shed Randle and assuming we can't re-sign NAW, I think we have to try to keep Naz. He is by no means a perfect player, BUT he has really paired well with Ant and Rudy these last two seasons so he clearly has proven as much as anyone that he can compliment our two best players. He is a quick decision maker and reliable 3-point threat that is willing to let it fly.
Donte DiVincenzo - I know he has been a disappointment this season and he may never return to his Knicks level of production. But he was pretty damn good in Golden State too and I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation. He is still in his prime and I feel he will eventually find his rhythm. He brings off ball movement, shooting, and crisp passing - things extremely complimentary to Ant.
Mike Conley - He is a must keep because he is a calming influence, highly respected veteran, and mentor to countless young players at a reasonable price. You just want guys like him around. That being said, he really should be a backup PG at this point in his career. Unfortunately, there is no one right now capable of filling that role.
Must Go:
Julius Randle - How bass-ackwards is it that Ant compliments Julius with his ability to shoot and draw attention, but Julius does nothing to compliment the franchise cornerstone??? We can't have two guys with sticky hands and questionable decision making as our top scorers with a total lack of synergy. I pick Ant over Julius.
Jaden McDaniels - It really pains me to list Jaden here. But with Rudy already being a non-shooter, we simply cannot afford multiple guys on big contracts that teams will sag off of to provide gap help and crowd the paint. He is a big factor in the inability of our starting lineup to execute good offense. For whatever reason, he just has not improved as an outside shooter and in fact has gotten worse. The other reason I have him here is that I still think he could get us a solid asset in return.
Can't Keep
NAW- Kekgeek pointed out in another thread that we are restricted in what we can pay NAW since we don't have his Bird Rights and I have no question that he will find multiple suitors willing to pay more than us. Dammit!
Question Marks
Rob Dillingham - He certainly fits the archetype of a guy that can take a lot of pressure off Ant by being an elite ball handler, play maker, and shot maker....in theory. His youth and inexperience just make it really hard to know if he can eventually take over as a starting NBA PG. He certainly has a lot of the raw ingredients though.
Shannon Jr. - I actually think he could be really good. He is a guy that would benefit from a spread, fast-paced offense with shooters in that he is really good at taking it to the hoop and drawing fouls. He can also defend. It's all about the outside shot with him. But it would be great to have two perimeter wings in Ant and Shannon that can put a ton of pressure on the defense with their driving ability. Gotta keep them honest with the 3-ball though, which Ant has demonstrated and the jury is out on Shannon.
Josh Minott - Nice story so far in a Jarred Vanderbilt sort of way, but will his outside shot hold up? It looked transformed in the pre-season, but there is no other data since then or before then that makes me confident he can be a reliable threat. And Ant simply can't afford to play with guys other than Rudy that can't shoot.
Leonard Miller - Has developed nicely in the G-League and finally is an overall plus player down there and is probably getting close to outgrowing the G-League. He is an offensive-oriented PF, but again there are question marks with his decision making, defensive intensity and 3-point shot.
Jaylen Clark - Elite guard/wing defender. Elite ball hawk. Very limited as a ball handler, shot creator, and shot maker. Needs to keep working on his offensive game to crack a 9-man rotation with a playoff-caliber team someday.
On the current roster, I would categorize folks into these categories: Keep (compliments Ant), Must Go (doesn't compliment Ant), Can't Keep (won't be affordable even if we want him), and Question Mark (meaning we just don't know yet or it depends on other factors).
Keep:
Rudy Gobert - Rudy is not the ideal Center for Ant offensively since after multiple years Ant is mostly unable or unwilling to find him for easy dunks, but he sets killer screens and is a walking top 10 defense. Rudy's weaknesses get exacerbated when he is surrounded by other poor shooters. Perhaps if the floor opens up more, it will be easier for Ant to find Rudy on the roll.
Naz Reid - Assuming we shed Randle and assuming we can't re-sign NAW, I think we have to try to keep Naz. He is by no means a perfect player, BUT he has really paired well with Ant and Rudy these last two seasons so he clearly has proven as much as anyone that he can compliment our two best players. He is a quick decision maker and reliable 3-point threat that is willing to let it fly.
Donte DiVincenzo - I know he has been a disappointment this season and he may never return to his Knicks level of production. But he was pretty damn good in Golden State too and I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation. He is still in his prime and I feel he will eventually find his rhythm. He brings off ball movement, shooting, and crisp passing - things extremely complimentary to Ant.
Mike Conley - He is a must keep because he is a calming influence, highly respected veteran, and mentor to countless young players at a reasonable price. You just want guys like him around. That being said, he really should be a backup PG at this point in his career. Unfortunately, there is no one right now capable of filling that role.
Must Go:
Julius Randle - How bass-ackwards is it that Ant compliments Julius with his ability to shoot and draw attention, but Julius does nothing to compliment the franchise cornerstone??? We can't have two guys with sticky hands and questionable decision making as our top scorers with a total lack of synergy. I pick Ant over Julius.
Jaden McDaniels - It really pains me to list Jaden here. But with Rudy already being a non-shooter, we simply cannot afford multiple guys on big contracts that teams will sag off of to provide gap help and crowd the paint. He is a big factor in the inability of our starting lineup to execute good offense. For whatever reason, he just has not improved as an outside shooter and in fact has gotten worse. The other reason I have him here is that I still think he could get us a solid asset in return.
Can't Keep
NAW- Kekgeek pointed out in another thread that we are restricted in what we can pay NAW since we don't have his Bird Rights and I have no question that he will find multiple suitors willing to pay more than us. Dammit!
Question Marks
Rob Dillingham - He certainly fits the archetype of a guy that can take a lot of pressure off Ant by being an elite ball handler, play maker, and shot maker....in theory. His youth and inexperience just make it really hard to know if he can eventually take over as a starting NBA PG. He certainly has a lot of the raw ingredients though.
Shannon Jr. - I actually think he could be really good. He is a guy that would benefit from a spread, fast-paced offense with shooters in that he is really good at taking it to the hoop and drawing fouls. He can also defend. It's all about the outside shot with him. But it would be great to have two perimeter wings in Ant and Shannon that can put a ton of pressure on the defense with their driving ability. Gotta keep them honest with the 3-ball though, which Ant has demonstrated and the jury is out on Shannon.
Josh Minott - Nice story so far in a Jarred Vanderbilt sort of way, but will his outside shot hold up? It looked transformed in the pre-season, but there is no other data since then or before then that makes me confident he can be a reliable threat. And Ant simply can't afford to play with guys other than Rudy that can't shoot.
Leonard Miller - Has developed nicely in the G-League and finally is an overall plus player down there and is probably getting close to outgrowing the G-League. He is an offensive-oriented PF, but again there are question marks with his decision making, defensive intensity and 3-point shot.
Jaylen Clark - Elite guard/wing defender. Elite ball hawk. Very limited as a ball handler, shot creator, and shot maker. Needs to keep working on his offensive game to crack a 9-man rotation with a playoff-caliber team someday.