Hoops Habit
Fansided

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 big questions following 2019 NBA All-Star break

By James Grieco

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddles before the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddles before the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Can the team finally get healthy?

2019 has not been kind to the Minnesota Timberwolves thus far. On paper, this team has the talent to make up the four-game gap they’re facing before the season ends and squeak into the playoffs, but the injury bug might make that task insurmountable.

The roster was already incongruous, with severe shortages on the wing, and Robert Covington’s absence has only made that more glaring. RoCo, who hasn’t played a single game in 2019 due to a bone bruise, doesn’t have a projected timetable either. Speaking to Minnesota sports writer Dane Moore, Covington gave a vague update on his status last week, saying:

"“It’s no real timetable because they’re so unfortunate and so nagging. They’re weird … it’s basically just how you feel.”"

Worse, all three point guards on the Timberwolves’ roster — Rose, Jones and Teague — have missed time in 2019. It’s honestly amazing that the team has stayed above water during their absences.

At times recently the Wolves have been down four of their nine regular rotation players, which has pushed Saunders into a corner when constructing lineups. Anthony Tolliver, the team’s nominal backup power forward, has had to log significant minutes at small forward, sharing the floor with any two of Karl-Anthony Towns, Dario Saric, Taj Gibson and Gorgui Dieng. Those lineups, unsurprisingly, have had extreme difficulty stopping anyone.

The Wolves have turned to Jerryd Bayless and recent 10-day addition Isaiah Canaan to plug the holes at point guard. While small sample sizes show the offense hasn’t wavered too much in the interim, neither of those guys is capable of running an NBA offense for long stretches.

The Wolves desperately need either Jones or Teague to recover and stabilize the starting point guard spot and Rose to finish the season healthy and effective. His scoring punch off the bench is one of the few things keeping the team going without needing KAT to play more than 36 minutes a night.

If the injury report continues to read as it has the past month and a half, the Wolves have virtually no chance of making the playoffs.

Home/Minnesota Timberwolves