Houston Rockets: 5 keys to series vs. Timberwolves

2. Don’t let easy buckets become a habit

What made the Timberwolves so highly regarded coming into the season was the amount of firepower they had collected in the offseason. Two of the most overlooked pieces they possess are Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague.

Taj Gibson doesn’t need the ball for long to be effective, and he quietly averaged a cool 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. While that sounds pretty run of the mill for an NBA player, he is doing that on 57.7 percent shooting and a respectable 76.8 percent from the charity stripe. In addition, he is doing that next to guys who have huge usage rates like Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler.

Meanwhile, Jeff Teague is another understated player who can do damage in a hurry. The good news is that in a fast-paced series, he is likely to rely on shooting floaters, and he historically doesn’t have the softest touch.

On the other hand, he also enjoyed his second-highest points output against the Rockets this season (18 points per game) and his third-highest output in dimes (6.5 per game).

Considering that, Teague may be another guy who could do damage in crafty and unexpected ways. The Rockets should be watching him closely and be ready to adjust after Game 1, regardless of the outcome.