Canis Pulsus - Vol. 22 Results

Just two years ago, if you told Canis Hoopus that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be sitting just one game under .500 a quarter of the way through the season, I’m sure the majority of us would be satisfied, if not happy with that outcome. However, with big expectations come big disappointments. Fast-forward a closely contested first round playoff exit and a shipment of five first round draft picks later, we find ourselves here. As if CH were frustrated parents, we have finally discovered where the Wolves have been hiding the mail.

The Timberwolves 1st quarter progress report has been located in the bathroom trash can.

(Note: Canis Pulsus Vol. 22 data was collected through 12/2)

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Rudy Gobert

C+

Gm 1-21 Stats: 13.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.7 spg, 1.4 bpg, 31.8 mpg - .640/.000/.737

Rudy Gobert has mostly struggled to fit in with his new teammates. Though he’s had a few games where he was a saving grace, such as the season opener versus the Thunder or the crucial game saving stop against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he has mostly looked like an awkward fit on both ends of the court. Gone are the days of him setting up camp in the painted area on defense, as well as the days of not being thrown the ball in the mid-post to create. He still earns himself a passing grade so far, but hopefully this will be Rudy’s lowest point in a Timberwolves jersey.

Full voting results:

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Karl-Anthony Towns

B-

Gm 1-21 Stats: 20.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.7 bpg, 33.8 mpg - .505/.325/.885

Of the “Core 4,” Karl-Anthony Towns has looked the best among them all. He was the only one successfully connecting with Gobert on the offensive end while showing off his passing chops on a nightly basis. What was holding him back was adjusting to life at the power forward position on the defensive end as well as his three point shooting slump. The latter is magnified even more considering the lack of success of his other teammates from perimeter. KAT will have his hands full as he returns to the court in 2023 as he will have to fast track his chemistry with his teammates for the second time this season.

Full voting results:

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D’Angelo Russell

D+

Gm 1-21 Stats: 14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.6 bpg, 31.0 mpg - .429/.320/.784

The counting stats have improved as the season has continued, but make no mistake that D’Angelo Russell has been a common denominator of the Wolves woes to start the season. Much like many of his other teammates, he has struggled to figure out how to effectively play his role on defense while shooting a career-low from the three point line. There has been a lot of clamoring for Tim Connelly to cut bait on D’Lo as he apparently requested during the summer, but you still wouldn’t expect this type of performance from someone on a contract year and theoretically in their prime years. Our mattsteg points out the mess that has been lineups featuring D’Lo this season.

Full voting results:

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Anthony Edwards

C+

Gm 1-21 Stats: 22.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 36.5 mpg - .457/.346/.750

With big expectations come big disappointments. You could apply that not only to the Timberwolves as a franchise, but specifically to Anthony Edwards as well. Many pundits expected a meteoric third-year bump for the 21-year-old, but he mostly remained on the same plane that he was at last season. Though in a vacuum, it’s not terrible, but Ant has all too often opted for one-on-one hero ball and ignored his teammates on the floor. Ant’s evolution as a franchise player will be crucial to whether or not the Wolves can turn things around this season.

Full voting results:

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Kyle Anderson

B

Gm 1-21 Stats: 6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.8 bpg, 20.5 mpg - .521/.412/.792

Kyle Anderson has largely produced as he was advertised. A CH favorite, he has fit the bill as a high IQ, do it all role player in limited minutes. Additionally, Anderson is shooting a ridiculous 41.2% from perimeter - by far a career-high. It might not be sustainable in the long run, but he offers enough value on both sides of the court that it may not be a big deal. Slo Mo has been awesome.

Full voting results:

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Taurean Prince

B+

Gm 1-21 Stats: 7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.2 bpg, 19.5 mpg - .495/.389/.864

Taurean Prince’s importance to the team continues to impress the longer he has been on the team. There was much gnashing of teeth for swapping our beloved Ricky Rubio for him in 2021, but TP has been a reliable and consistent force off the bench and in the locker room. Alongside Anderson, he helps form an extremely potent bench unit which has helped the Wolves earn a number of their early season victories. Hopefully he will return from a friendly-fire injury soon.

Full voting results:

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Jaden McDaniels

B

Gm 1-21 Stats: 11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.4 bpg, 29.9 mpg - .535/.357/.765

Jaden McDaniels full ascension into the starting unit has been much anticipated. His All-NBA level defensive chops are no longer a secret as he has harassed a number of opponents into tough performances. Big Mac’s three ball is dropping at a better clip while he’s still maintaining his effective off-ball activity. Unfortunately, McDaniels is averaging a career-high 3.8 fouls per game (6.0 per 100 possessions) which is evident in the 4 games he’s fouled out. If Jaden can stay on the court, then the Wolves are likely winning more games.

Full voting results:

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Jordan McLaughlin

A-

Gm 1-21 Stats: 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, 15.8 mpg - .434/.241/1.000

Jordan McLaughlin has impressively been the most important cog to any Timberwolves success this season. He is one of those players where both the eye test and the analytics indicate that he is a high impact player. The ball zips around on offense. Defensive rotations are covered. Just like Nikola Jokić and Steph Curry, JMac deserves needs to see more time on the court.

Full voting results:

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Jaylen Nowell

B-

Gm 1-21 Stats: 10.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.1 bpg, 17.3 mpg - .426/.305/.759

Head coach Chris Finch had set expectations for Jaylen Nowell relatively high going into this season, especially with Malik Beasley no longer on the team. There was a vital role to be filled and Nowell was groomed for this moment. Nowell opened up the season with a 6th Man of the Year type run that was music to Wolves fans ears. Unfortunately, just as fast as he lit it up on the court, the scoring well went dry just as fast and as a result, he found himself on the pine. He has recently regained some of his early season scoring touch, but Jaylen’s offensive consistency will be important moving forward.

Full voting results:

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Naz Reid

B

Gm 1-21 Stats: 7.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.5 bpg, 12.9 mpg - .542/.355/.667

Naz Reid.

Full voting results:

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Bryn Forbes

D

Gm 1-21 Stats: 3.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.0 bpg, 10.9 mpg - .326/.261/.100

What good is a three point specialist when he is no longer special at his supposed talent? Worst yet, he is actually the opposite of “special.” Granted, Bryn Forbes is only on a veteran minimum salary, Finch should still be delegating his minutes to other more worthwhile players. He did his due diligence to give Forbes a chance, but until he can demonstrate any value on the court, he should be riding the bench.

Full voting results:

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Nathan Knight

Incomplete

Gm 1-21 Stats: 0.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.0 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.0 bpg, 2.7 mpg - .273/.000/.800

Nathan Knight has graduated from the Iowa Wolves to fulltime Timberwolves bench warmer. Congratulations! The Dark Knight has played just 24 minutes of garbage time this season. With KAT on the mend, hopefully he can finally get more of a real opportunity.

Full voting results:

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Austin Rivers

C

Gm 1-21 Stats: 2.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.1 bpg, 12.2 mpg - .333/.200/.900

Austin “Sub Zero” Rivers was brought in to likely assume a sort of Patrick Beverley locker room voice. He hasn’t had much success on the court, but hopefully he’s having a better effect off the court. Check out his grade A lip service after the game 21 loss!

Full voting results:

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Wendell Moore Jr.

Incomplete

G-League Stats: 18.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.2 bpg, 30.6 mpg - .516/.471/.625

I like to call Wendell Moore Jr. “Mini Kawhi” and I’m sure that will soon catch on. Until then, we can settle for a few A+ grades that he received. The 26th pick of the 2022 draft hasn’t had much of an opportunity on the main roster (Game 22 vs. MEM not included in this segment), but he has been more than capable on the Iowa Wolves squad with above average shooting splits. If he continues to prove his worth, Moore could be a useful future rotation player.

Full voting results:

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Josh Minott

Incomplete

G-League Stats: 17.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.3 spg, 1.6 bpg, 34.1 mpg - .529/.429/.800

After Josh Minott’s breakout summer league campaign that earned him a multi-year contract, he has largely continued his rampage for the Iowa Wolves. Minott has the potential to be a souped-up Josh Okogie with the size of a Jarred Vanderbilt. Hopefully Finch will give the freshly turned 20-year-old an opportunity if the Wolves continue to flounder.

Full voting results:

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Luka Garza

Incomplete

G-League Stats: 29.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.3 bpg, 34.4 mpg - .628/.500/.794

Luka Garza is leading the G-league in scoring while notching a mind-blowing 74.9 TS%. It’s equally impressive how he can score from deep as well, making 2.2 on 4.4 attempts per game. It remains quite perplexing why Garza has yet to get an opportunity to play meaningful spot minutes on the main roster. He has been called up a few times, but has mostly played cheerleader. Will the real Luka please stand up?

Full voting results:

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AJ Lawson

Incomplete

G-League Stats: 19.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 36.1 mpg - .518/.367/.636

You will be missed, Anthony Randolph Lawson. Till we meet again. It’ll probably be soon.

Full voting results:

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Coaching staff

C-

Gm 1-21 Record: 10-11

Chris Finch seems to have gotten a passing grade based on his previous achievements and reputation. After somehow turning the Wolves around from a bottom feeder into a playoff team last season, Finch has seemingly done the opposite this year. Minnesota has floated around .500 mostly due to an easy schedule, injury luck (kinda), and pure talent. What’s missing remain the bigger concerns: Energy, execution of gameplan, and an effective system.

Full voting results:

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Front office

D

New President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, is rightfully getting a lot of the flak for the poor performance of the team. The gamble to acquire Gobert has certainly not paid off... yet. It was always going to be a multi-year plan, but season one is not looking good so far. Without a draft pick to look forward to, the clock is ticking.

Full voting results:

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Ownership

D+

Did Marc Lore blow his load too early by overspending to acquire Tim Connelly? Does Alex Rodriguez still have enough money? How much of a bonus did Glen Taylor give his personal security team?

Full voting results:

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What do you hope the Timberwolves achieve in the next quarter of the season the MOST?

Fix vibes/energy issues (65%)

It seems fairly obvious - Energy and consequent vibes should not be dependent on who’s on the court. Whether that’s on the players or the coaches, it should definitely be priority one. Fans are going from one end of the spectrum with Pat Bev and Vando flying around (with purpose), to Ant and D’Lo standing uselessly on both sides of the court.

Full voting results:

Will the Timberwolves make the play-in tournament?

Yes (77%)

The Western Conference is extremely tight. Though the Wolves are currently sitting outside of the play-in, they are just 2.0 games back of being the 6th seed. I’m not sure if that’s comforting or scary.

Full voting results:

Will the Timberwolves make the playoffs?

Yes (51%)

There appears to be a near 50-50 chance that it’s a 100% chance the Wolves make the playoffs. Not great when you consider that on the opposite side of the postseason is the Wolves sacrificing their lottery ticket to the Utah Jazz.

Full voting results:

With 1/4 of the season over, my feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are...

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Slightly pessimistic (40%)

Previous grade: Very optimistic (83%)

CH is back to normal! Pessimism is high. Jarrett Culver is in a starting lineup and playing relatively well. Andrew Wiggins is about to be an All-Star (again). Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love are reunited on a good team. Welcome back!

Full voting results:

Link to the full results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K0Mnc-1xfyyYybZ1rWW0G_PKVPSBH5PL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113464502408931240511&rtpof=true&sd=true

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Yikes! A 2.29 grade point average halfway through their first semester? That’s it, CH is going to have to take away Popeyes and pajamas until the Wolves get their act together.