Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 concerns as season begins

No. 3: How rusty will the Minnesota Timberwolves be?

Let’s get the big one out of the way up top, shall we?

All throughout the postseason, the Minnesota broadcast crew was bragging about how Ryan Saunders had said that the team addressed the long break on the first day of training camp, and then and there decided that there would be no excuse. That they wouldn’t just sit back and rely on the old “We’re just a little rusty” shtick at all.

However, that attitude didn’t appear to stop the No. 1 overall pick and Wolves star rookie Anthony Edwards from saying something a little different:

"A lot of shots that I am missing, I normally make in games…I feel like I haven’t played basketball in a long, long time…you’ve got to get used to that and I feel like it takes more than two games…By the time Dec. 23 [comes] when we play Detroit, I feel like everything will back into rhythm"

Now, not taking into account how misplaced the sentiment feels with the general message the team has been putting out, Edwards actually has a point. And to be fair to the rookie, his approach is probably the better one. It’s always best to be more honest with yourself about being a little rusty after nine months of not playing than it is to try and act like nothing has changed.

This is going to be one of Minnesota’s biggest measuring sticks through the early part of the season. It’s likely that a lot of the players–especially the shot-heavy types like D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley–are going to be rusty to start the year. And it will be important to recognize that and not try to throw up shots that aren’t there or to “shoot your way” out of the rut.

The Timberwolves will likely see some really inefficient scoring to start the season, and if they can recognize that early enough, they will be able to right the ship.