Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 storylines from the first week of games

Minnesota’s small-ball style is a blessing and a curse

Starting with the arrival of Gersson Rosas, a disciple of the church of Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets, the Timberwolves instantly began to switch their “traditional” and “out-dated” style of basketball for a more modern, analytics-infused one. While this has initially seemed to allow Minnesota to thrive, it has also been the team’s downfall on more than one occasion.

A large part of why Minnesota struggled so much against the Detroit Pistons as they did was the Timberwolves had nobody who could match the physicality of Blake Griffin. With Towns occupied with Mason Plumlee and Layman guarding Jerami Grant, it left Okogie to defend Griffin; a task he was not up for.

The Timberwolves are likely going to face the same problem against the Lakers tonight as Minnesota will have to find a way to stop both Anthony Davis (who will likely be guarded by Towns, if he starts) and LeBron James (Josh Okogie’s presumptive assignment). It’s a tall order for any team, and the Timberwolves are going to be all the more stressed to fulfill it.

This is where the JamesHarden to Timberwolves pipeline comes in. As many have pointed out, Minnesota is without the proper assets to provide a decent package for James Harden. However, Minnesota could be a benefiting third-team in a trade between the Miami Heat or 76ers and the Rockets. If Minnesota moved some of their assets for a more stable forward, that could benefit every franchise’s needs.