NBA
Timberwolves management considers that struggles with maturity will be their main priority to solve this offseason
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated28 Apr 2023
Last summer, the Timberwolves made the investment to build up a team that could contest a breakthrough season and have a long stretch along this season’s playoffs. In the end, however, they made a small impact as they were just eliminated in the postseason’s first round.
Even though injuries were a strong influence on their campaign’s performance, we have to admit that hiring both Karl-Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert did not have the effect their were hoping for. Nevertheless, if they are given more time on court together, they still might reach their potential.
thank you for all of your support this season, Wolves fans. 💙 pic.twitter.com/9cUuAM8cvC
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 26, 2023
In spite of some clear points to improve, the most important point of improvement should be the squad’s maturity, as the team’s management has admitted that cultivating good habits will be their main priority.
“Our emotional control was really disappointing at times this year. It wasn’t just the young guys, too, which is even more disappointing,” said GM Tim Connelly this Thursday. “So I think that’s going to be a huge focus of this offseason, not just relative to acquiring new faces, but how do the guys who are here be a bit more mature when things don’t go their way.”
Coach Chris Finch agrees, as he’s grown accostumed to witnessing some behaviours that are unnaceptable in his eyes. “We have to address some of this, some of the behaviors, for sure,” he said. “A lot of it I think comes from a good place. They’re competitive. I don’t think they’re malicious or petulant or necessarily just trying to act out to be acting out.
“We have a lot of guys who have not necessarily won a lot in their career as young players, so handling failures as they come and the stakes are a little higher also exposes some flash points for us. They’re all growth opportunities, for sure.”
Minnesota did not only lead the NBA in ejections this year with 9 in total, they also tied in most fouled-out players with 15, and the second-highest total of personal fouls (1,768).
The other stat that worries their management is how they performed against the four weakest teams of each conference, recording a 9-15 mark against Wizards, Magic, Hornets, Pistons, Jazz, Blazers, Rockets and Spurs.
“We’re not where we should be, where we need to be yet in terms of winning habits,” team star Gobert said. “I think we can get there. I think we will get there, but those things take time and discipline.”
How can the Timberwolves vitalize chemistry bewteen stars Gobert and Towns?
“They’re both really incredibly good basketball players,” coach Finch said about Gobert and Towns. “With the skill level that KAT has, for sure, there’s no reason basketball-wise that it shouldn’t work.”
Check out how some of the pair’s best plays together of this 2022/23 campaign:
“They’re going to be tied to the hip and they’re going to be as important to this team as anybody else is obviously,” their General Manager expressed about their stars.
“Both are excited about their long-term future here, and the minute we’re allowed to, those guys are going to have really, really nice offers with a lot of money in their inbox,” he said.
As for his position in the team’s administration, he feels at home in Minnesota. “I’m pretty committed to the Timberwolves right now,” Connelly said. “I’m just worried about how we can get out of the first round.”
