Deep Dive: Leandro Bolmaro's Connector Archetype Can Help Minnesota
The rookie is a seamless fit despite his imperfect game.
There was an audible gasp around the Minnesota Timberwolves fan base when Leandro Bolmaro walked to the scorer’s table in the first quarter of the double-overtime thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers. A loud thud as many a jaw smashed against the floor. It wasn’t because the fan base didn’t believe in the rookie and it wasn’t because he didn’t deserve real rotation minutes, the it was because his time to emerge from the end-of-bench basement still seemed so far away.
The 21-year-old has been grinding out the season as he vacillates between the Timberwolves pine and a starring role with their G-League affiliate the Iowa Wolves. And, while there’s a serious talent there, the lower-level seasoning seemed like the perfect way to get him up to speed with a game that is very different from the one in Europe. For now, especially while the Timberwolves are playing with a newfound potency, it seemed like the perfect time to ease the international man of mystery into the big leagues.
But there he was. Fresh-faced and wide-eyed and ready to check in. Chris Finch told reporters, via The Athletic, after the game that he needed more out of the backup point guard position that Jordan McLaughlin has been struggling to hold down. That left Bolmaro and Jaylen Nowell as the two options, and Finch chose the Argentinian rookie.
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