NBA Power Rankings week 12: injury fallout, OKC Thunder highs and lows
15-23. Previous: 23rd. Minnesota Timberwolves. 26. team. 86.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Offense: (105.8) 23rd
Defense: (108.5) 15th
Net: (minus -2.7) 23rd
Games Week 12 (1-2): Won vs. Blazers: 116-102, Lost vs. Grizzlies: 112-119, Rockets: 109-139
Games Week 13 (4 games): Mon vs Thunder | Weds vs Pacers | Fri at Pacers | Sat vs Raptors
Minnesota owns a single game playoff win in the past 15 seasons. Five of those years with Wiggins and four with Towns on the squad. An argument can be made the only victory is more a testament to Jimmy Butler than either of the current stars.
| Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | Basi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | MP | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | +/- |
| Jimmy Butler | 41:26 | 19 | .526 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | +19 |
| Jeff Teague | 40:34 | 14 | .643 | 3 | 5 | .600 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | +13 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 38:33 | 13 | .385 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | +6 |
| Andrew Wiggins | 35:03 | 11 | .636 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | +5 |
| Taj Gibson | 24:37 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +6 | |
| Team Totals | 240 | 90 | .500 | 15 | 27 | .556 | 8 | 33 | 41 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 121 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/6/2020.
Diving into the production of the two stars in that game, again it’s debatable but Butler was the key and I’d argue Wiggins was more effective in numerous ways with fewer minutes.
| Rk | Player | Season | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karl-Anthony Towns | 2017-18 | 34.0 | 5.6 | 12.0 | .467 | 2.2 | .273 | 9.8 | .510 | .492 | 13.4 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 15.2 |
| 2 | Andrew Wiggins | 2017-18 | 32.8 | 6.0 | 13.6 | .441 | 4.2 | .333 | 9.4 | .489 | .493 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 15.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/6/2020.
A closer look at the two Wolves stars through their lone playoff series does provide evidence Wiggins’ value was higher. Granted teams were keying in on Towns and Butler as their primary options but it’s a bit of fodder to consider.
The big question is how happy Minnesota is with their current status and how long they’ll be willing to keep paying these big max contracts if they aren’t going to result in deep playoff runs. At a minimum, the Wolves need to be a perennial playoff team that they aren’t presently.
This week points to just how far they are from gaining traction given the Memphis Grizzlies who are in the first true season of their rebuild beat them and those simply aren’t games the Wolves can afford to lose.
Let’s keep an eye on this squad and see what happens at the trade deadline. Will they move one of the stars? Or, will Minnesota seek to find the cookie-cutter roster piece that could propel them on a winning streak to drive them up the ladder?