Team: Timberwolves
2021-22 season record: 46 wins and 36 losses (7th in the West), 2-4 grizzly bears in the first round of the Western playoffs
Major Renewal: Carl Anthony Downs (4 years 0.224 billion)
Main offers: Rudi-Gobel, Kael-Anderson (18 million years), Austin-Rivers, Brin-Forbes, Eric-pascarl (two-way contract), little Wendell-Moore (No. 26 show)
Major losses: Patrick Beverly, Malik Beasley, jaridbilt, Leandro bolmaro, Walker Kessler (show 22)
Last season review:
The 2021-22 season was an absolute success for the Timberwolves, 46 wins and 36 losses in the West seventh. This is the best record since the 2017-18 season, when Butler was still there. Pushing forward is the era of “three monsters. After the regular season, they defeated the Clippers in the play-off. In the first round, they fought 2-2 with the second grizzly bear in the West, but they suffered a reversal in the battle of Tianwang mountain, and finally 2-4 regretted being out.
Throughout the season, the Timberwolves set a distinct style of play. They are the fastest team in the league and the team with the most three points. The Timberwolves can all score the highest 115.9 points in the league, which is not entirely based on the brainless fast attack rhythm. They went online to defend hard and had strong oppression on the ball. They stole 8.8 league matches for the third time. They made 16.3 mistakes every night, ranking first in the league. They scored 19.7 points by mistakes, the alliance of making 20.9 fouls of rivals came second. They fought for the backboard in the front court actively, with the average backboard in the front court being the sixth in 11.2 leagues, and the second attack scored 14.8 points and the fifth in the league. It is Timberwolves’s newly established winning strategy to create a large number of offensive opportunities and open three-point shots based on competition. However, such a strategy not only activates the enthusiasm of young people in the competition, but also causes many corresponding problems, let them often have a big opening and closing game.
Due to the excessive pursuit of conversion attack, Timberwolves ranked the bottom of the league in terms of defensive rebound protection, and the fast-paced competition also brought many mistakes. Excessive pursuit of the oppression of the ball and gambling-style snatching, let them often lose position in the ball-free end. The poor discipline of rotation defense also made them suffer a lot when facing cover. The data of 5.6 caps per game cannot cover up the fact that the team’s ability to protect the frame is poor. In the end, their defense in the regular season allowed the opponent to send out the League’s 4th assists (26.2 times) and cast the league’s 9th two-point shooting rate (%), the number of three-point shots also ranks fifth (37.3 times) in the league. In the first round of the playoffs against the grizzly bear, Bain averaged 23.5 points in a game, hit% in three points, and Morant averaged 21.5 points in 8.7 rebounds and 10.5 assists in game, clark averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds (4 of which were front rebounds), which proved that the team did not do well in frame guard, rebounding protection and ball-free defense. But more importantly, Timberwolves’s game style brought them the second largest number of fouls in the league (21.8 times) and the largest number of technical fouls in the league (100 times in total), therefore, they have to give up to 19.8 points to their opponents every night, and free throws have the most points lost in the league.
Off-season changes:
The Timberwolves are almost the biggest team in the offseason this year. They used Beasley, Beverly, Kessler, Vanderbilt, bolmaro and four first-round signatures and a first-round exchange of rights in exchange for jazz center Gobel. Timberwolves’s idea is very simple and direct. The team did not perform well last season defensive rebound, so we will find a way to solve it. Either maintain the original lineup and use the remaining space to sign an ordinary blue collar to do dirty work. Or change it to zero and maintain the core lineup, and change it to an absolute main force that can directly make up the short board.
Gobel is a rebound player who ranks in the top five of the league all the year round. Last season, he just got rebounder, with a rebound rate of 25%(36.3% defensive rebound). Secondly, when Gobel became the No. 5 position, it was obvious that he could release downs, so that he didn’t have to pay a heavy price for habitually wandering to the outside line. Gobel’s ability to protect the frame has always been beyond doubt. I believe that the scene that Morant broke through Lore must be vivid. When they own Gobel, anyone who enters the paint area must think about it again. Moreover, Gobel can also be a good cover Wall, and it can also have a certain voice in cooperation with Russell and Edwards.
After sending out a large number of teams, Timberwolves also need to find ways to make some supplements. Although looking at the deal of Gobel alone, the Forest Wolf is really surprising. But from the perspective of rosters, there is not much gap. Vanderbilt’s departure gave the reason for centralizing Mike Daniels. This 22-year-old man with long arms is expected to become an excellent all-around front line, and Anderson’s arrival is also a perfect lubricant, he can be a good ball holding point on the bench, and he can also top up the main team when necessary to bring more changes. Beasley played a 25-minute substitute on the Timberwolves every night last season, and he was able to shoot 8.1 three-point goals crazily, with a hit rate of 37.7 percent. His three-point fire was an important part of the Timberwolves attack last season. Beverly is the core of the team’s outside defense and the best practitioner of the team’s fight last season. He is almost the spiritual leader of the young Timberwolves. However, Edwards made significant progress at both ends of the attack and defense last season, with more and more accurate projection and more toughness and experience in defense. From the perspective of liberating its growth space, Timberwolves did not have a gap, moreover, the team also signed several defenders such as rivers and Forbes to allow them to try out. The only question is whether the enthusiasm and experience provided by Beverly at the spiritual level can be well inherited and carried forward by the wolves.
Outlook for the new season:
Considering the maturity of downs and Edwards, Russell’s contract is about to expire, and the regret of the first round out is another incentive for young players. Timberwolves believe that the time for the best result is now. After a wave of zero-changing Soha and targeted recruitment, the Forest Wolf formed a two-pronged effect. The growth of Edwards and McDaniels seems to be able to smooth the team’s spending. The arrival of Gobel can make up for the problems of last season. Of course, all this should be based on the premise that Gobel perfectly integrates into the team.
What problems are foreseeable? Regardless of the mental uncertainty, Gobel may not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the wolves. Although he is an excellent protector of defensive rebound, he does not have the ability to launch fast attacks and follow up fast attacks. Many rounds of Timberwolves in the new season must be solved in half-time positions. At the same time, because Gobel’s combined Ball and range are almost zero, the means of ending under the basket are scarce, and the impact force is not satisfactory. After falling into the positional warfare, he will bring serious space problems at the attacking end. When the pace of the team is slowed down, how to take advantage of Gobel’s block and split to find opportunities will be one of the most important topics in front of the Timberwolves in the new season.
At the same time, although the off-the-shoulder play of Downs does not seem to overlap with Gobel, in fact, Downs’s singles depend on the space under the basket. Last season, Downs was in the top five of the singles efficiency league, but last season, only Vanderbilt in the Timberwolves team did not vote for three points. Downs often faced a no-one penalty area. Gobel will hinder the breakthrough route of Downs holding the ball outside the line, thus limiting its outside space. Moreover, it is precisely these two people who have limited low-level threats. If they cannot attack themselves, it is difficult to create opportunities for teammates. However, when Gobel was in jazz’s early partner feworth, he flashed a certain ability to respond, and Downs was also a good passer. If the two could produce magical chemical reactions in the high-low cooperation, then the attack threat of this twin towers will fill up with the trend.
And the Forest Wolf has enough talent. Although Russell has regressed significantly in recent years, his cooperation with Allen during the basketable nets period will make people expect him to sort out his offensive performance. Edwards made a lot of shots last season from the three-point goal. After falling into the positional battle, whether he can use his talent to help the team Harden is also a point worth looking forward. Compared with Vanderbilt, McDaniels is more capable of space, and Anderson also has excellent serial connection ability. The rest depends on how coach Finch overthrew the existing system and redeployed them. On the whole, the Timberwolves who are good at fighting in chaos must have to go through the increase of half-time passes, the increasing number of AIDS in the face, and the high demand for flanking cover quality, control mistakes will be one of the most important points for young people in the running-in period of the new season.
In terms of defense, although Gobel’s ability to defend outside the line relieve a garrison was criticized, and Downs did not prove that he had the ability to sweep outside lines, the Forest Wolf’s talent for defending outside lines was there. The defense lines formed by Edwards, McDaniels, Anderson and others will definitely not leak around like jazz. However, Finch still needs to let the inexperienced young people pay attention to controlling their defensive positions, otherwise the unnecessary foul and rotation defense problems will become the stubborn disease of the team.
Another point to note is that the young Timberwolves are extremely short of playoff experience, and none of their core teams have proved themselves in the playoff. However, as long as they can successfully renew Edwards’ contract and make good use of Russell’s contract, they still have about four or five years to seek a breakthrough. If they can guarantee the long-term playoffs, they can gradually become strong competitors, and then the first round of the spending will be submerged in the joy of victory. You know, the lineup built at such a large price is not to temporarily save a 45-50 victory in the first round of the playoffs. It is a little much cry and little wool not to fight for a final. Although Timberwolves almost locked their operating space, their existing core lineup is worth looking forward to several seasons. The Timberwolves of the new season may not be able to make a great coup because of the painful period, but their gambling will not be ruined overnight.