On today’s episode, Ryan Eichten and Leo Sun discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the brutal last week for the team, and much more:
— The Wolves’ loss to the Thunder on Sunday afternoon was their fourth loss in five games, ending a truly awful four-game road trip.
— Julius Randle has his best performance since the All-Star break, putting up 32 points on 11-18 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, six assists, and only one turnover. Minnesota will need to see
this version of Randle come the Playoffs if they want to make it back to the Conference Finals.
— Rudy Gobert had a rough night against OKC, something that has become a bit of a trend against higher-caliber opponents. The issue might speak to a team-wide issue more than a Gobert-specific problem, as the ball movement that helps Gobert’s offense has been severely lacking of late.
— Jaden McDaniels had one of his worst games of the season, scoring two points in just 16 minutes. How can the Wolves find a more consistent offensive role for Jaden?
— Anthony Edwards has had an up-and-down past few games. He’s had a pair of incredibly high-scoring performances in between two inefficient nights where his jumpshot has been unreliable. With his defensive production even more inconsistent, the Wolves need more from their star player on both ends of the court.
— The Wolves are now 12th in offensive rating, 11th in defensive rating, and 11th in net rating. While being top-ten on both sides of the ball signals a team’s status as a contender, the Wolves being 11th or worse on both sides of the ball makes for a tough sell that Minnesota is one of the league’s best.
— Ayo Dosumnu has been outstanding since the Wolves acquired him at the trade deadline. He scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, against OKC and projects to be a sizeable part of the Timberwolves’ future if they can re-sign him this summer.
