If the wheels were ever truly on, they’re all the way off now. There is plenty of time to get those wheels back and get this vehicle moving, but right now the Minnesota Timberwolves are stationary. There is an engine in there, and a steering wheel floating around somewhere, but without wheels this thing is going nowhere. While the Western Conference speeds by them, they sit motionless and melancholy.
This season hasn’t been filled with many highs, but this night against a New York Knicks was the lowest of them all. The Knicks aren’t a bad team by any means, but they’re inconsistent and wholly beatable for a team with Minnesota’s on-paper talent. Unfortunately, talent can only do so much. You need some fight and hustle and the will to get your hands dirty.
The game ends 120-107. There were none of those things. Nada. There hasn’t been all season, but this game was a culmination of all of the flaws and cracks and imperfections that this Wolves team has been teasing since game one.
It was over by the half. It kind of felt like it was teetering toward being over by the end of the first quarter when the Knicks rained triples from every quadrant of the hardwood, but that was a mere entrée to the horror-show second period. Between the parade of unforced turnovers, there was a barrage of missed shots. When those things weren’t sinking the Wolves, their transition defense and 3-point defense were.
The second half was better. It’s almost hard to fathom, but the second half was actually pretty decent. They found some lineup combinations that worked, their shots started to fall, and they were able to rein in New York’s shooting. Unfortunately, they made their bed early on, and they spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in it.
D’Angelo Russell: 6/10
To be fair, this felt like his best game in some time. That doesn’t mean he was exactly what they needed — they got fucking spanked and he wasn’t able to change that — but there were some signs of life. A pump of blood from a heart that has seemed beyond defibrillation.
It started with better decision-making. Sure, there was a few errant passes, but he took smarter shots and started to find some pick-and-roll passing pizzazz. There were also some flashes of last season’s quarterbacking defense while Minnesota were in high wall or zone coverage.
Still, even on a night where his improvements were palpable, he finishes with an inefficient scoring night. Baby steps.
Finished with 14 points (50.9% TS), 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks in 31 minutes — -0.2 net rating.
Anthony Edwards: 4/10
Spent the first 15 minutes of game time somewhere else. Thinking of something other than the things he needs to do on a basketball court. Probably thinking of animal facts or some shit. Maybe that snails can sleep for three years at a time. Or that octopuses have three hearts. Perhaps he was pondering how rich those who got in on the ground floor of the body glitter industry are.
Whatever it was, he wasn’t in the Target Center. He wasn’t scoring the points or getting the stops or revving the engine. Eventually, he started to find some sort of footing in the game. We saw a very deliberate attempt to move the ball — even turning down some open lanes at points — and an increased motivation to defend ball screens. There was some rebounding and self-creation mixed in there, too.
The fact is that none of those things really mattered once the game was gone. They need him there from minute one. They need him to set the tone. They need him to fill the gaping leadership hole in this squad. They need it now.
Finished with 16 points (48.1% TS), and 9 rebounds in 38 minutes — =4.8 net rating.
Jaden McDaniels: 2/10
They need more from him, too. Like, fucking heaps more. He can’t be an occasional contributor offensively. He can’t be a fluctuating shooter. He can’t oscillate wildly between lockdown defender and foul-machine. There needs to be a baseline of consistency. Until then, these nights will be littered between the dazzling ones. Like a big gangly microcosm of the Wolves as a whole.
Finished with 6 points (50% TS) and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes — -6.3 net rating.
Kyle Anderson: 7/10
One of the only defenders who felt like he was really putting in a shift. He moves like molasses in a fucking snowstorm, which does hurt him in certain situations, but he is ultra-smart and understands defensive angles better than anybody on the roster. He wasn’t able to wrangle and destroy the entire Knicks team, though. He can’t do it by himself.
The same goes for him on the other end of the floor. He made some sweet drives, some sweet passes, and even knocked down another robotically sweet triple, but he is a complimentary player. Nothing more. When the offense is in such a fucked up funk, he isn’t going to be the one to drag them out.
Finished with 9 points (75% TS), 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes — -12.0 net rating.
Karl-Anthony Towns: 8/10
Probably could have done even more. Probably should have done even more. In a game where rocks are tumbling in an avalanche of absolute shit, he probably needs to do even more. He was efficient as a scorer — although quite wayward as a passer — and it never seemed like there was anybody in the Knicks front court who could stop him. As the season has unfurled, he has slowly but surely been finding his unstoppable nature as a scorer again.
With that in mind, 12 field goal attempts isn’t going to cut it. Sometimes he just needs to grab the game by the fucking balls. Nobody would be mad with 20-plus attempts. Nobody would bat an eye at 25-plus on a night like this. Do what superstars do.
Finished with 25 points (77.2% TS), 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals in 38 minutes — -12.2 net rating.
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