Well it’s about time for some extreme preseason overreactions (for those of us who can actually watch). The Minnesota Timberwolves have played two preseason games (both vs the Memphis Grizzlies). So far, they look like an extremely young team, with a recently overhauled roster that’s being forced to play together, after just three practices and a half-year off.

Oh wait… that’s exactly what’s happening.

It’s important to keep these, and other details, in mind. Karl-Anthony Towns, has played just one regular season game with D’Angelo Russell. The rest of this roster hasn’t really played together at all either.

KAT had an extremely difficult summer, too. While we aren’t known for our empathy at Minnesota Sports Fan, losing your mom and multiple other family members in a matter of months calls for some humanity.

But games will matter next week…

But the world moves on with or without you and, starting next week, these games will matter. That’s not something Wolves are currently ready for. Through two preseason games, they have more turnovers (48) than assists (37), the rebounding has been atrocious and the defense has been even worse.

The offense is good though, right? Wrong. The Timberwolves are shooting below 40% from the field, KAT can’t hit from deep (16.7%), there’s ZERO chemistry and even less energy. I could keep going but I think you get the point.

Let’s start with the chemistry. There is none. There’s little to no ball movement and when passes do occur, they’re off target (hence the turnovers).

Small examples of the Wolves getting to know each other. Twice in this quarter Towns has tried to hit a cutting Rubio, each time Towns’ passes have been slightly off the mark, one time because Rubio stopped unexpectedly.

— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) December 15, 2020

After a fun and exciting offseason, we’re back to living in reality. The Timberwolves are going to have to go through some major growing pains before they’re (hopefully) good. How much better can they get before they play their first game on December 23?

Again, most of these Wolves haven’t played together… ever… and they don’t get the advantage 22 other bubble teams got just a couple of months ago. But opponents aren’t going to care about their circumstances.

Alright, enough of this negativity. Let’s look at some positives.

Jarrett Culver, comeback player of the year?

Talk about preseason overreactions! In these two games, no one has looked more improved than Jarrett Culver. He has looked more confident than ever and his jump shot is showing clear improvement. On the defensive side, Culver looks like a legit on-ball defender, which the Wolves desperately need.

Everyone on the team has said defense was their No. 1 focus of the offseason. Jarrett Culver is the only one where you can actually see that work paying off on the court.

Culver clearly studied Ja Morant's film, and you can see his intention actually making a difference.

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) December 15, 2020

Ok Jarrett 👀 https://t.co/jRSHTtSCkV pic.twitter.com/VEdY9tljrM

— Cooper (@CoopCarlson) December 15, 2020

D’Angelo Russell is still super good (at offense) and a ton of fun.

Sure, Russell struggles mightily on defense, but you can’t deny it’s fun to have someone with his offensive talent. When is the last time we had a guard who could chuck up outside shots (good or bad) from anywhere, anytime and have them consistently drop through the nylon? Marbury? Cassell?

It feels rewarding after watching a washed up Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham start games. Russell’s offensive talent is as good as advertised.

.@Dloading led the #Timberwolves with 19 points in their second preseason game against Memphis.

Full highlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eC4PdrWYOQ

— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) December 15, 2020

Will Karl Anthony-Towns look better when games matter and can the Minnesota Timberwolves come together before the playoffs are out of reach? With the expanded format this season, a .500 record will be good enough to play extra games.

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan

Almost all talk surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves, since their season ended on March 12, has been about how they can improve externally. “They should trade for Devin Booker…” or “they should draft LaMelo Ball…”

The Wolves should search high and wide for ways any and all ways to get better but their biggest improvements will have to come from within. Here are three questions that need to be answered, early next season.

1.) Can Towns and DLO improve defensively?

This is the question we’ve been asking ourselves since D’Angelo Russell was acquired by the Wolves back in February. We know that Towns and Russell will provide some excellent offense, but you need to play on both sides of the ball to win in the NBA.

"Minnesota Timberwolves: Player Evaluation Metrics"
A series of barplots showing ORtg, DRtg, Usg% & eFG% of active Wolves players.
What emerges?
– Below average offense & defense (22nd & 20th)
– Two way ball dominance (KAT & DLo)#rstats #DataScience #datavisualization #NBA pic.twitter.com/0El0srNp6H

— Filippos Polyzos (@filippos_pol) March 5, 2020

Last season, Karl-Anthony Towns had a defensive rating of 110 and Russell was even worse at 113 (according to Basketball Reference). If this is a new statistic for you, think of it this way. If you played a full NBA game with 5 Karl-Anthony Towns’ dropping back for all of your defensive possessions, his “defensive rating” is the amount of points the 5 KATs would give up.

It’s an offensive league. Both Towns and Russell provide so much fun on that side of the floor, but can we at least ask them to try on defense? If they were to provide any effort at all (especially Towns, who can’t defend in the paint and is often the last player across the court), the defense should (at the least) slightly improve… in theory… right?

2.) Will the real Malik Beasley please stand up?

This question has two parts. First, will Beasley continue to produce like he did last season after being traded to the Wolves? When the Wolves acquired Malik Beasley, they gave him an opportunity he hadn’t had before. In those 14 games, his shooting percentages skyrocketed and so did his production.

The jumps he made in field goal percentage are extremely impressive. Are they sustainable? Probably not, but with him finally getting the opportunity to prove himself I would expect him to meet those stats somewhere in the middle. He will continue to be a very productive player.

Second, will he be in a Wolves uniform if/when he does? All we know, is that the Wolves want him back. Even without a guaranteed contract, Beasley showed faith in the Rosas & Co. and arrived at Wolves camp with his teammates this week.

Here is what Jon Krawczynski wrote about Beasley’s contract situation, in the Athletic.

“The Timberwolves say they are respectful of Beasley’s position as an impending free agent. They have indicated that they want him to return after making a trade to acquire him from Denver before the deadline, and Beasley’s decision to attend the voluntary camp implies some level of trust with the organization. It doesn’t guarantee that everything will work out perfectly, but it is a good sign.”

Jon Krawczynski

3. Can Josh Okogie and/or Jarrett Culver develop a three point shot?

Among all qualifying players, Josh Okogie (26.6%) and Jarrett Culver (29.9%) had the first and third worst 2020 season 3P% in the NBA. That’s not what you want from your last two first round draft picks, while you’re trying to run with the high-powered, analytics-driven offenses around the league.

Both Okogie and Culver are known more for their defense and motor, which we have seen flashes of… but they will need to produce on offense to be effective at this level. Okogie is already a solid bench guy, which the Wolves are hoping Culver can become, after a very disappointing rookie season.

Basically, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell need to be much better on defense while Okogie and Culver need a bunch of improvement on offense. It’s weird how that works. All four players will have to improve in their own ways, if the Minnesota Timberwolves are to make any significant steps forward as a team.

I can’t tell the future, but if I could, I’d say Malik Beasley is still in Minnesota when the dust settles. We’ll see what happens with his contract until then.

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan