Minnesota Timberwolves: Kris Dunn Starting Would Be Best
Offense
Rest assured, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have early growing pains in starting Dunn. He’s a rookie and he’ll be adjusting to NBA defenses and the NBA skill levels. Yet, he gives the Timberwolves the best opportunity to win. While being a strong facilitator, Dunn has shown the ability to score from everywhere on the court. Most importantly, he showed the ability to make shots from three-point range.
In the preseason, Wiggins hasn’t been able to shake loose like the rest of the starting lineup. With Dunn’s ability to space the floor, Wiggins will have more space to drive in the lane. Furthermore, Dunn’s starting allows the Minnesota Timberwolves to be a more balanced team. He’s able to finish around the rim efficiently because of his athleticism and ability to separate from defenders with his first step.
Offensively, Rubio’s lack of athleticism makes it hard for him to finish around the rim or get past defenders. That makes him an inefficient scoring option. In analyzing his shooting percentages by distance, Rubio struggles to shoot in general. His lack of athleticism doesn’t get him enough space to finish around the rim efficiently. Furthermore, his lack of athleticism often will prevent him from making it all the way to the rim and when impeded, Rubio still struggles converting in the lane and shooting from the midrange.
| % of FGA by Distance | FG% by Distance | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | FG% | Dist. | 2P | 0-2 | 3-9 | 10-15 | 16 <3 | 3P | 2P | 0-2 | 3-9 | 10-15 | 16 <3 | 3P |
| Career | .368 | 13.8 | .765 | .291 | .077 | .085 | .312 | .235 | .384 | .475 | .261 | .274 | .359 | .318 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Furthermore, Rubio’s lack of three-point shooting ability negates his ability to do more than be a facilitator when he plays off the ball. Consequentially, the Minnesota Timberwolves are left playing 4-on-5 offensively when Rubio is on the floor. Though Wiggins and Anthony-Towns will account for the bulk of the scoring, efficient scoring from all of their players would help the Timberwolves be playoff contenders.
Dunn is the better offensive option for the Minnesota Timberwolves as he has shown the ability to be an all-around scorer. He’ll only be better when on the court with the starting unit and essentially playing in one-on-one matchups. From there, Dunn can use his length, athleticism, and ball-handling ability to set both himself and others up for easy scores. When Dunn comes off the bench, he’s the focal point and able to be double-teamed which leads to inefficiency and turnovers.
Rubio is better suited coming off the bench because he’s a traditional floor general whose priority is facilitating to his teammates. His offensive style will help the Minnesota Timberwolves anemic bench more than Dunn’s will because he’ll be focused on finding them in their hot spots more often than not.