Timberwolves Need Consistency Out Of Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine has struggled as of late, and the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately need him to play better.
To say Zach LaVine has struggled recently would be an understatement. In his last 10 games, LaVine has averaged 6.6 points and two assists per game on 30 percent shooting from the floor and 25 percent from three. Not only that, he’s also put up a plus/minus of minus-9.
Now, that last statistic could be affected a bit by the Minnesota Timberwolves consistently losing during that time, but there is much room for improvement.
To start the season, LaVine was a bit streaky, with games of 20 points followed games with six points, but he was still keeping a consistent 12-14 points per game after a slow start to the year. He seems to have gotten back into a rut and if the Timberwolves want to compete more offensively, LaVine has to be back to 14-16 points per game.
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He’s capable of doing it, we’ve seen it, but it needs to come back and be consistent.
Some of the wonder is maybe the return of Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio has affected him. Both Rubio and Martin have missed games due to injury and it gave LaVine more opportunity, but now with a reduced role it seems as if he’s just a non-factor.
Here, just more than a month ago, LaVine showed off some shooting, some touch when he gets hit and getting the foul and the bucket. Lavine’s success comes when he’s finishing at the rim well. This allows him to open up the jump shot when the defender gives him more room in fear of him driving to the basket, and he gets a nicer look.
When he comes out just firing, things can get rough for the Timberwolves.
One of the things head coach Sam Mitchell mentioned about Zach were that part of the problem comes with Zach’s mindset from AAU ball. In a Q&A that MinnPost did, Mitchell mentioned that when Zach catches an open pass, instead of taking the open shot he tends to take a dribble in and make the shot harder on himself.
"“’Zach, why didn’t you shoot the ball?’” He’ll(LaVine) say, “’I didn’t feel like I was in rhythm or ready to shoot.’” But then you dribbled into the defense and took a bad shot. “’Was that a bad shot?’” See, he doesn’t even realize that he dribbled and then did that. It is so ingrained in him from AAU, and we are trying to break him of that habit."
Second-guessing when shooting the ball can be a players downfall, and it could be a contributing factor in LaVine’s adjustment to the game. His potential is all there, and it may be a rough second-year for Zach, but he has a bright future ahead of him. Hopefully the Timberwolves can get some consistency out of him going forward.
"“Zach right now is just trying to play. When you start playing and thinking, that’s when you’ve got something, when you can do both. As long as you are just playing, you are just out there. And when I say playing and thinking, I am saying doing it without being hesitant. You are just reading as you go.”"
In Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder, we saw what Zach can do. LaVine showed some spark to ignite a Timberwolves comeback as he contributed 21 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting in the loss at home. This is the type of play the Timberwolves need out of him — efficient shooting, getting to the rim, and playing hard.
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He spoke on Coach Mitchell’s toughness and mentality.
"“It’s not fun. Sometimes unfair. But he’s coach and I’m player and that’s what you have to deal with.”"