Minnesota Timberwolves: Shabazz Muhammad At The Top
There is no reason to believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves are not going to improve as the season progresses. Young players get better, and their guys will. The veterans that the Wolves were counting on to bridge the gap or keep themselves in fringe contention will be returning too.
At some point it will all work together to give some appearance of cohesion and competence.
I would never make the claim that this team hasn’t been fun to watch so far. I could even argue that they are more fun to watch than the team that was so close to competing with the Lakers and the Spurs, in theory, of course, because really, did anyone really think they could win those series’?
My pessimism aside, though, watching a team with marginal expectations is really enjoyable. To me, everything positive that I see is a little surprise and something to build on. It is about establishing hope and stunting that pessimism.
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A 4-16 record so far certainly leaves a viewer grasping at potential positives or noteworthy storylines. The emergence of some players this season has given me what I need.
There will be an ongoing rank in future columns about rising Wolves’ players. Right now I see no reason to be anyone above this guy. And what a surprise it is.
Shabazz Muhammad: Really, he’s the reason why I’m writing this column in the first place. I’d boast if I could, but I was as skeptical of him as anyone who watched him last year naturally would have been. He was abysmal; there was no athleticism, questionable effort, an inability to create, and what seemed like a legitimate fitness problem.
I figured things would be better this year, and I hoped for a significantly enhanced role to draw a more definitive conclusion, but it seemed like a long shot given the new personnel.
Well they gave him that shot. It’s a new year and a new Shabazz. The coaching staff talked about the improvement over the summer but I never know what to make of comments like those, especially with young players that need a confidence boost.
If Muhammad really did devote extra time and effort to making himself a better, more efficient overall player, then it is a testament to him. I read too many scouting reports during and after the draft that spoke to the contrary.
I didn’t want to believe those; I never do, but it was hard to refute those claims as he was looking increasingly lost and one-dimensional his rookie season.
Muhammad’s improvement is clear. He is averaging 11 points and three rebounds in 17 minutes per game so far this season, up from four points in eight minutes last season. His PER of 20.71 ranks fourth in the NBA for small forwards and 32nd overall.
He is shooting better than 50 percent on the season while providing the kind of instant offense off the bench that the Wolves desperately need, especially in their current injury-riddled state.
The stat I’m watching is Muhammad’s minutes per game moving forward. In November, he averaged 15 minutes and scored 10 points per game on 51 percent shooting. His minutes have trended up so far in December, averaging 22 minutes, scoring 15 points per game, and shooting 53 percent.
Regardless of circumstances, these stats can’t be ignored and shouldn’t, as long as Muhammad is contributing and doing so efficiently.
Obviously, there is a reason why Muhammad is only averaging 17 minutes per game. Perhaps it is defense or fitness or Flip Saunders has reached the conclusion that this is the best way to use Muhammad and get the most out of him.
I don’t think they should rush to change things, but if he has earned more time, he should play more time. The Wolves offense is hardly a machine that has the liberty to use Muhammad as an accessory.