All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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jamiche said:
I was at the game and I was also mystified why Clark sat.

A few impressions:

1. The new lighting system is pretty cool.
2. This team as it is currently constituted is going to struggle to beat good teams this year, even with Ant. The NBA has gone big again and this team isn't big enough. They have some height but they don't have any bulk both in the front court and the back court. Denver was noticeably bigger than the wolves and basically pushed them around. I always thought Christian Braun was a skinny kid. He was guarding DDV last night and dwarfed him in height and weight. Crawford and Hardaway were bigger and stronger than any wolves guard and got to any spot on the floor. Jokic and Vukovic owned the paint.
3. The wolves are pg deficient. That's not news. Conley was actually pretty assertive, probably his best game. Crawford and Hardaway owned him. They were too big and too good. I was glad to see Dilly get a shot and he played pretty well on offense. He's incredibly small. I can't believe he showed up this year with no additional bulk. Crawford and Hardaway owned him. Bones will make the occasional fun play but he's a non factor.
4. Randle and McDaniels looked good. The problem is they are often on the floor with two non scorers. It makes life hard.
5. Naz's defense is making him almost unplayable.
6. I know Rudy's defense is still good but his offense compounds their deficiencies.

The fixes for these problems are easier said than done. First and foremost, if I were POBO I would address the pg situation by trading a package that includes one of Naz, DDV, or Randle for a top 15 pg. (If that's even doable.) Secondly, I'd start giving Berenger 10-15 minutes a game because Rudy's fumbles have got to be causing morale problems. He's not going to provide Rudy's defense for a while, but he can catch the damn ball.

No doubt the team will be better when Ant returns. However, it has some structural problems that not even he can fix.
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You mean this team has been composed of a constellation of guys who for their entire career have massive flaws which only get compounded when our best player is out? :)
Naz is an excellent 6th man scoring punch who can play you spot minutes at the 5 in a crunch (was part of the beating Joker in the past as they just had enough bigs to throw at him to wear him down, not because Naz was any better than another body) and will make you work to defend him. Rudy's problem is he's a great defender but you don't even need to try guard him as he either doesn't catch the ball so he's not a great rim runner and has no bag whatsoever on the offensive end. I'm intrigued by Rudy/Naz together minutes as Rudy rim protects for you, but that's a tough matchup lineup against a team like Denver.
On the size, Braun has always been a big dude, he's just finally put on more of the bulk (he's 6'6" and has 2in and 20+# on DDV). He's just been so passive for so long that he played smaller than his size imo. He's probably the big key for Denver having a bigger year and threatening OKC.
Agreed x100 on Jaden and Julius out there together. Very solid 2, 3 but they need a 1 to get points on the floor with them for spacing, shot creation

On your trade idea (a top 15 pg), SGA, Doncic, Curry, Cunningham, Brunson, Booker, Morant, Garland, Murray are all untradeable. You're not going to want a ball dominant guy in that role. Tbh, i'd be super cool with a guy who plays like TJ Mcconnell who plays with pace, can get into the lane and focuses on distributing while at least being scrappy enough on defense and shoots just well enough you can't entirely not guard him (while at least being achievable to land). They don't need to be a "top 15 guard" but you need another initiator on this team who can get everyone else going while being, preferably, a plus defender, unless you're going to try play Ant like that
 

A scoring PG solves nothing when the biggest issue with this team is defense.

And suddenly we’re too small when we swept the Nuggets with the same team plus NAW and of course Ant last season?

With or without Ant, the Wolves have to be a top defensive team to win. Through 4 games they’ve played virtually none.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
A scoring PG solves nothing when the biggest issue with this team is defense.

And suddenly we’re too small when we swept the Nuggets with the same team plus NAW and of course Ant last season?

With or without Ant, the Wolves have to be a top defensive team to win. Through 4 games they’ve played virtually none.
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as you well know, regular season and postseason are wildly different. and i do think we're significantly worse defensively without NAW and have been on the record saying losing him was a bigger deal than people wanted to admit it was.
 

upnorthkid said:
as you well know, regular season and postseason are wildly different. and i do think we're significantly worse defensively without NAW and have been on the record saying losing him was a bigger deal than people wanted to admit it was.
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I think it's way too early to know anything. NAW's scoring is up but he's been a minus in every game for the 1-3 Hawks.

I just find it really funny that @jamiche suddenly thinks the Wolves are too small when the only change in the rotation from last year is they replaced NAW with TSJ who is bigger than NAW, and Clark who is the same size. Yet @jamiche's brilliant solution to this problem is to trade a big man for a PG :rolleyes:
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
A scoring PG solves nothing when the biggest issue with this team is defense.

And suddenly we’re too small when we swept the Nuggets with the same team plus NAW and of course Ant last season?

With or without Ant, the Wolves have to be a top defensive team to win. Through 4 games they’ve played virtually none.
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Denver is a bigger, better team this year. Things don't stay the same. Jokic goes out, an even bigger guy with skills comes in. I've seen the Nuggets live before and didn't recognize Braun at first. Crawford, Hardaway and Braun were way bigger than our perimeter players.

Yes, suddenly we are too small. Rudy is noticeably thinner; Randle is noticeably thinner; it sounds like Ant is thinner. Glad they are in great shape but it appears bigness is back. (Jokic is actually kind of paunchy, but he's still Jokic. He always looks like he'd rather be someplace else.)

Denver and OKC are elite, partially because of their size. We aren't close.
 



jamiche said:
Denver is a bigger, better team this year. Things don't stay the same. Jokic goes out, an even bigger guy with skills comes in. I've seen the Nuggets live before and didn't recognize Braun at first. Crawford, Hardaway and Braun were way bigger than our perimeter players.

Yes, suddenly we are too small. Rudy is noticeably thinner; Randle is noticeably thinner; it sounds like Ant is thinner. Glad they are in great shape but it appears bigness is back. (Jokic is actually kind of paunchy, but he's still Jokic. He always looks like he'd rather be someplace else.)

Denver and OKC are elite, partially because of their size. We aren't close.
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I will agree that Denver is bigger but Valanciunas is declining rapidly, and Hardaway Jr is as well despite having a good night last night. Cam Johnson also misses 1/3 of the season every year so we'll see what they look like later in the year. I have no idea who Crawford is.

OKC is not bigger than us, they win with speed and D. They have two big guys and one is still very slim despite getting bigger over the years. The rest of their rotation is guards.

You're letting your eyes play tricks on you as teams who wear black always look smaller/slimmer, especially against teams wearing white. That's just Science.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
I will agree that Denver is bigger but Valanciunas is declining rapidly, and Hardaway Jr is as well despite having a good night last night. Cam Johnson also misses 1/3 of the season every year so we'll see what they look like later in the year. I have no idea who Crawford is.

OKC is not bigger than us, they win with speed and D. They have two big guys and one is still very slim despite getting bigger over the years. The rest of their rotation is guards.

You're letting your eyes play tricks on you as teams who wear black always look smaller/slimmer, especially against teams wearing white. That's just Science.
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Of course. If the wolves had only worn white they wouldn't have been killed on the boards and Dilly would be 6'5" and 215lbs. That's just Science.
 



I said it before. They Wolves did nothing to improve this team in the offseason. They didn't add any player who will get meaningful minutes while losing one in Naw. With any serious injuries, they aren't going to be cruising into the playoffs. I see a play-in game scenario.
 

jamiche said:
Of course. If the wolves had only worn white they wouldn't have been killed on the boards and Dilly would be 6'5" and 215lbs. That's just Science.
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When you don't play defense and let the Nuggets shoot 53%, there are far fewer rebounds to get.

No one said Dilly is that big.

You never answered who the hell Crawford is on the Nuggets. Making things up again?

Yes it is Science. The Wolves are just as big as they were last year if not bigger.

Yes, black uniforms can make you look slimmer because black absorbs light, minimizing shadows and creating a streamlined, cohesive silhouette that hides visual interruptions. This effect is enhanced by wearing a single color from head to toe, which avoids breaking up the body's vertical line.

How black makes you look slimmer
  • Hides visual interruptions: Black hides shadows, creases, and bulges that can draw attention to certain areas of the body.
  • Creates a streamlined effect: By absorbing light, black minimizes the appearance of curves and creates a smoother, more uniform line from head to toe.
  • Emphasizes the vertical line: When the entire outfit is black, it creates a monochrome effect that makes the body appear longer and slimmer by not dividing the figure into smaller sections.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
www.inforum.com

Chris Finch challenged the Timberwolves’ best defenders. Will they respond?

Minnesota sports the fourth-worst defense in basketball, allowing 119.8 points per 100 possessions
www.inforum.com www.inforum.com
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It's concerning that Finch is challenging McDaniels on defense. I thought his defense was supposed to be a given.

Rudy is old, and he is what he is. You can challenge him, but it's not there anymore like it used to be.

We are going nowhere fast.

I believe this team looks significantly different next year.
 




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