Fansided

NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Every team’s biggest question

By Ben Ladner

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Timberwolves
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 4: Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves disputes a call during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 5, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Timberwolves 91-84. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Timberwolves: Will Tom Thibodeau find the right balance?

Tom Thibodeau has become notorious for slashing his bench’s time on the floor in favor of overtaxing his starters, and most of those criticisms are fair. But Thibodeau can hardly be blamed for wanting to avoid using his bench at all costs. Minnesota’s starting lineup was among the best five-man units in the NBA, but the Wolves scored a disastrous 103.7 points per 100 possessions without Jimmy Butler and Karl Towns on the floor, a mark that would rank dead last in the league. Minnesota also allowed 114.8 points per 100 possessions, the equivalent of a top-five offense, in those minutes. There is a proper balance to be struck between leaning on starters to mask a

Minnesota’s second units could also be better this year. Thibodeau generally prefers to play his starters in large chunks together rather than staggering them, like Mike D’Antoni does with Chris Paul and James Harden. The Wolves don’t need to employ that drastic of a system, but a few more minutes each night with one of Butler and Towns on the floor could buy both players more rest and stabilize the pockets of the game when second units typically play.

The Wolves also improved their roster this offseason, if only slightly. Anthony Tolliver can space the floor around Towns and allow for more possibilities with small lineups, something Thibodeau has long avoided. The team added capable but unproven players on the wing, and Tyus Jones should take another step forward this year (though that won’t matter if Thibs gives all of the backup point guard minutes to Derrick Rose, who may be “back to his MVP self” this season, over seven years after tearing his ACL).

There is also the matter of properly distributing touches between Butler, Towns and Andrew Wiggins, a balance Minnesota didn’t always appropriately strike last year. Butler became the undisputed alpha almost as soon as he arrived last summer, and Towns is the team’s most efficient and reliable scoring option. Yet good ol’ Wiggins led the Timberwolves in shot attempts despite posting a 50.5 true shooting percentage and possessing little to no playmaking ability, while Towns put up career-lows in usage, assist rate and 2-point attempts despite having a career year in virtually every metric of efficiency.

Towns is already one of the most versatile offensive big men of all time and has made significant strides as a shooter and passer over the last two years. With more touches, he could become a devastating offensive centerpiece around which Butler and Wiggins could work for easier shots. Alas, that potential may never be fully realized so long as Minnesota’s current pieces remain in place. A day of reckoning is coming for this group, we just don’t yet know when.

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