He’s back! Well, at least he’s rumored to be back.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Minnesota Timberwolves legendary forward/center, Kevin Garnett, is set to return for an unprecedented 21st season in the NBA.
The artist formerly known as “The Kid,” and the 2004 Most Valuable Player, will turn 39 next month and is undoubtedly entrenched in the twilight phase of his illustrious career.
No definitive word yet, but rumbles out of 'Sota persist that Kevin Garnett is still leaning toward coming back for season No. 21 in '15-16
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 13, 2015
Saying Garnett is over the hill would be a slap in the face to peak Big Ticket; he has long gone over the proverbial cliff, coddled up in his rocking chair, while chilling in his cozy resort up in the Hamptons for quite some time now.
But that is not to say that KG, at his advanced age, cannot still bring relevant value to the Timberwolves roster next season.
For one, Garnett remains a game changer on the defensive end. He might not be the swift-moving, omnipresent pterodactyl that he once was, but he is a linebacker of sorts, barking out signals and instilling a sense of cohesion whenever he is in the game.
Not surprisingly, since the acquisition of KG — in which the Wolves’ coach/general manager, Flip Saunders, brought the Mauldin, S.C.-native back to his home away from home — at the NBA trade deadline, Minnesota’s defense had only allowed 97.4 points per 100 possessions with Garnett on the floor, a whopping 16.8 points per 100 possessions less when compared to when the Ticket is seated in a suit on the Wolves’ bench, per NBAWowy!.
The problem, however, lies in KG’s ability to stay healthy. Since his much ballyhooed return back to the Twin Cities, Garnett has only appeared in five games and played a total of 98 minutes.
As much advice Garnett can provide to Minnesota’s battalion of youngsters, like Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, from the bench, he could supply a more hands-on, effective avenue of teaching when he is playing. His durability, at this stage of career, may derail such efforts.
His on- and off-the-court mentorship may be in of a higher demand next season, especially if the Wolves utilize their lottery pick, likely to fall within the top-3, on a big — most notably, Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor.
In the case of Towns, a modern day big man with a base skill-set eerily similar to KG’s refined repertoire, Garnett could surely lend a forceful hand as to how the Kentucky Wildcat can best use his combination of length and quicks to anchor the Wolves’ anemic D, while applying his size and touch to help alleviate Minnesota’s spacing issues on the offensive end.
On the other hand, known as a polished back-to-the-basket savant but a defensive sieve, Okafor could sorely use Garnett’s expert consultancy concerning his ability to protect the paint while using his gargantuan 7-foot-5 wingspan, and how to optimize his innate gift to pass out of double teams when operating out of the low block.
In addition to whoever Minnesota selects with their first round draft pick, KG can also help ease the transition of stretch-forward Nemanja Bjelica, who, by all accounts, is set to leave the Euroleague next season and make his NBA debut.
But, if KG were to return, the Wolves are certainly at risk of suffering another injury-inflicted season, especially when considering that Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin, and Ricky Rubio — a trio that has had a hard time of staying healthy over the last couple of seasons — will most likely be on the active roster next year.
To be completely frank, the chances of all four staying somewhat ailment-free for an entire year are slim-to-done. However, the goodwill Garnett has given to, and built with, the Timberwolves organization is invaluable.
For such reasons, let’s hope, if all indications are true, that a Kevin Garnet return next season will bring more of a tangible impact than just the motivational whispers from the Timberwolves sidelines he has been providing since his return back to Minnesota.
Next: Zach LaVine Flashing Tantalizing Potential
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