Sophia Michaels
After a (very) promising start, the Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled mightily for a few weeks. As such, the focus is probably more on the future than the present in the Twin Cities but, with Karl-Anthony Towns already on the roster, the Wolves do have the centerpiece of their franchise for the next several seasons.
In this installment of our Holiday Wishlist series, we’ll break down what the Wolves will be searching for during the holiday season, including open concerns with the present-day roster and what might be in store for the future.
#1: A Point Guard
It’s not a secret that the Wolves are in the market for a point guard. Jeff Teague is a capable steward but he isn’t a high-end starter anymore and the veteran has a $19 million expiring contract. Minnesota has gone away from Teague in the starting lineup as well, opting for a bigger, more versatile approach with Jarrett Culver at the “point guard” spot.
Culver does have play-making ability and that was a big reason why he was a lottery pick. He isn’t a capable initiator of the offense right now, though, and the Wolves are seemingly trying to give him reps more than anything. To put it plainly, the point guard of the future isn’t on the roster right now and, until Minnesota actually engineers a deal for a D’Angelo Russell or someone else, this will be the most glaring need.
#2: Three-Point Shooting
Towns is shooting almost 42 percent from three-point range on 8.5 attempts per game. For one, that is completely insane for a center and it’s basically unprecedented in the history of the league. Towns is a one-of-a-kind offensive talent but, well, the rest of his team isn’t helping him very much.
Even with Towns putting up those insane numbers, Minnesota sits comfortably in the bottom five of the NBA in three-point shooting. That comes with the territory when the rest of the team is shooting 30.6 percent from long distance and, honestly, it doesn’t feel like a fluke that the Wolves are so bad. In fact, Teague is shooting over his head at more than 40 percent from three and the Wolves simply don’t have any plus shooters.
Robert Covington (33.3 percent) and Culver (24 percent) will probably shoot better but, in short, this is a roster that just doesn’t have enough floor spacing. That is almost difficult to accomplish with perhaps the best shooting center in NBA history, but it’s something the Wolves will have to fix, both for the present and the future.
#3: The Long-Term Frontcourt Partner for Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota has been deploying a lineup that essentially features four wings and around Towns. Covington is a talented, capable defender that can hold up against some power forwards but, for the duration of the Towns era, the Wolves haven’t had “the guy” to pair with him.
In contrast, the Nuggets found a great complement to Nikola Jokic when they landed Paul Millsap. The veteran gave Denver a defense-first player that could cover up for Jokic’s defensive limitations and pair nicely with him on the offensive end. It doesn’t have to be a Millsap clone, but Towns will always be an offense-first center and the Wolves need someone next to him that can fill in the gaps. Finding that guy won’t be easy, but it’s essential if Minnesota wants to build a contender.
Written by: Uproxx
