All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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DDV struggled with the ball in his hands in the 1st half and was benched for it. Most of the rest of the TOs were just dumb passes in the half court offense and had little to do with PG play.

Holiday and Sharpe had 4 TO's a piece, the same as Ant. Was Portland's PG play some of the worst you've ever seen?

The Wolves constantly played with lineups and rotated who brought the ball up. Bones gave them good minutes. Ant was the PG down the stretch and there weren't any issues. He looks like he's in midseason form already which is a good sign.
 

After watching OKC/Houston Tuesday night and the wolves/blazers last night, anybody who says there's no defense in the NBA is a moron.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
DDV struggled with the ball in his hands in the 1st half and was benched for it. Most of the rest of the TOs were just dumb passes in the half court offense and had little to do with PG play.

Holiday and Sharpe had 4 TO's a piece, the same as Ant. Was Portland's PG play some of the worst you've ever seen?

The Wolves constantly played with lineups and rotated who brought the ball up. Bones gave them good minutes. Ant was the PG down the stretch and there weren't any issues. He looks like he's in midseason form already which is a good sign.
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It's obvious the wolves don't need a pg. They had no problem getting the ball up the court and getting into their offense all night.
 


jamiche said:
It's obvious the wolves don't need a pg. They had no problem getting the ball up the court and getting into their offense all night.
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Not as much as everyone is making it seem. They scored 118 against a good defensive team.

The biggest issue for the Wolves last night was their D in the first 3 quarters.
 


Tyus Jones signed a 1-year contract for $7 million. He's a low end starter or high end backup, but he should've been a no-brainer signing.

We'd be so much better with him than any other option we have.
 

Wemby with some nice numbers last night.
40 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and 0 turnovers.
(Did not see any of the game)
 

TruthSeeker said:
Tyus Jones signed a 1-year contract for $7 million. He's a low end starter or high end backup, but he should've been a no-brainer signing.

We'd be so much better with him than any other option we have.
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Agreed. However, they are a couple of million from the second apron, so the money wasn't there. The only way I can see for them to get a quality pg who can handle the pressure they will see almost every night is to trade one of their quality backups. Naz, DDV or TJ might have to go at some point this year.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
DDV struggled with the ball in his hands in the 1st half and was benched for it. Most of the rest of the TOs were just dumb passes in the half court offense and had little to do with PG play.

Holiday and Sharpe had 4 TO's a piece, the same as Ant. Was Portland's PG play some of the worst you've ever seen?

The Wolves constantly played with lineups and rotated who brought the ball up. Bones gave them good minutes. Ant was the PG down the stretch and there weren't any issues. He looks like he's in midseason form already which is a good sign.
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Nope. Several Wolves players struggled getting the ball up the court when Portland pressed. Even Mike. This team continues to be terrible at passing. This won't fly against an actual good team (which Portland isn't).

Bones is on the only team that would have him. The fact that he is playing over Dilly says a lot about how bad this team is with the backcourt.

Ant saved the game for the Wolves. Portland stopped pressing as much during the 4th qtr. This was a huge mistake. If I'm coaching the opposing team, I press nonstop.

Continue excusing the PG play at your own peril.
 



jamiche said:
Agreed. However, they are a couple of million from the second apron, so the money wasn't there. The only way I can see for them to get a quality pg who can handle the pressure they will see almost every night is to trade one of their quality backups. Naz, DDV or TJ might have to go at some point this year.
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I think their best chance to get an above average PG would've evolved around a KAT trade. We simply don't have the cap space or draft pick equity to trade for a difference making PG.

Jaden would certainly get some GMs to pick up the phone but again, what high level PG would even be available? Coby White rumors are abundant but he's no more of a PG than DDV is and is looking for a huge contract after this season.

I've ripped on Connelly for trading an Unprotected FRP and Pick Swap for a guy that has all the makings of a bust in Dilly. That deal currently looks disastrous.

With that said, I have to give Connelly credit for identifying our need for a franchise PG and making an aggressive move to try and land one. He just whiffed on his player evaluation of Dilly. It happens to every GM.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I think their best chance to get an above average PG would've evolved around a KAT trade. We simply don't have the cap space or draft pick equity to trade for a difference making PG.

Jaden would certainly get some GMs to pick up the phone but again, what high level PG would even be available? Coby White rumors are abundant but he's no more of a PG than DDV is and is looking for a huge contract after this season.

I've ripped on Connelly for trading an Unprotected FRP and Pick Swap for a guy that has all the makings of a bust in Dilly. That deal currently looks disastrous.

With that said, I have to give Connelly credit for identifying our need for a franchise PG and making an aggressive move to try and land one. He just whiffed on his player evaluation of Dilly. It happens to every GM.
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At this point an average pg would make a nice difference. I actually would give Dilly a chance. It's the beginning of the year and they might as well find out. He's quick enough to get by some people in the backcourt.

If Ant has to bring the ball up against this kind of pressure almost every night, in addition to everything else the team needs from him, he won't be Ant by February.
 

tikited said:
Bones is on the only team that would have him. The fact that he is playing over Dilly says a lot about how bad this team is with the backcourt.



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Yeah, Bones over Dilly doesn’t bode well for Dilly, but I’m going to wait about a half dozen games or so. Hoping its just because Portland was picking up full court and Finch wanted someone a little more experienced.
 

I'm trying to imagine Ant with a point guard who needs to be guarded and can once in a while, could set him up for an easy look.

Then who knows how far Ant could take this.
 



kg21 said:
I'm trying to imagine Ant with a point guard who needs to be guarded and can once in a while, could set him up for an easy look.

Then who knows how far Ant could take this.
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One of your best posts. Seriously.
 

jamiche said:
At this point an average pg would make a nice difference. I actually would give Dilly a chance. It's the beginning of the year and they might as well find out. He's quick enough to get by some people in the backcourt.

If Ant has to bring the ball up against this kind of pressure almost every night, in addition to everything else the team needs from him, he won't be Ant by February.
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He might help with ball handling duties, but defensively, who is he going to guard?
 


fan of Ray Williams said:
He might help with ball handling duties, but defensively, who is he going to guard?
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Fair point. I was hoping he would show up this year with more bulk to fight through screens. Didn't happen. In terms of the pg mess, the wolves are going to have to pick their poison. Tonight should be ok. The Lakers don't have the personnel to pick up full court.
 

jamiche said:
Fair point. I was hoping he would show up this year with more bulk to fight through screens. Didn't happen. In terms of the pg mess, the wolves are going to have to pick their poison. Tonight should be ok. The Lakers don't have the personnel to pick up full court.
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i mean if he's not going to do that/be willing and show the effort (or be able to dribble up the court and break a press), then he's not a player in the NBA. Would rather the Wolves play him and figure that out. He has no trade value right now anyway. I get their stuck with him through next year and he's only 21, but I'd rather they see what happens now rather than he sits for basically an entire additional year.

this roster cap wise is kind of a mess and it's not like it gets a whole lot better next year.
 

upnorthkid said:
i mean if he's not going to do that/be willing and show the effort (or be able to dribble up the court and break a press), then he's not a player in the NBA. Would rather the Wolves play him and figure that out. He has no trade value right now anyway. I get their stuck with him through next year and he's only 21, but I'd rather they see what happens now rather than he sits for basically an entire additional year.

this roster cap wise is kind of a mess and it's not like it gets a whole lot better next year.
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Agreed. My point has been, despite his obvious deficiencies, the wolves should play him because they should at least find out what they actually have and he should be able to get the ball into the front court without going into oxygen depletion.
 

For good reason we've been focusing on the pg problem. I also thing they need to find a way to get Berenger some competitive minutes. When Rudy was out Wednesday night the paint was wide open. The good teams are going to exploit the hell out of that.

Not sure how they can divide up the minutes to include Berenger and keep the other big guys happy. Finch is supposed to be really good at the human relations part of the job and this would be a challenge. At least Naz, Rudy, Julius and Jaden have all been paid.
 

jamiche said:
For good reason we've been focusing on the pg problem. I also thing they need to find a way to get Berenger some competitive minutes. When Rudy was out Wednesday night the paint was wide open. The good teams are going to exploit the hell out of that.

Not sure how they can divide up the minutes to include Berenger and keep the other big guys happy. Finch is supposed to be really good at the human relations part of the job and this would be a challenge. At least Naz, Rudy, Julius and Jaden have all been paid.
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Naz definitely needs help on defense when he is out there. He is a sieve (Randle is as well). When Berenger is ready, he needs to play.
 

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