How Did the Wolves’ Loss to the Thunder Inform Us About Changing Roles?

Dec 7, 2022 - 5:00 PM

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On today’s show, Dane is joined by Chris Hine from the Star Tribune to discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 135-128 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, the second game of the Karl-Anthony-Towns-less chapter for the Wolves. This episode focuses on things that showed up in that Oklahoma City game that will be relevant over this window without the the three-time All-Star.

Topics include:

— Terrible officiating, but also poor composure amidst the poor officiating — which has been a trend all season. Is there any way this changes? Is it an indictment on any specific player?

— How are Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell are stepping into a bigger leadership role in KAT’s absence? How does that change affect the team as a whole? Is it a good thing that those two are stepping up in terms of leadership?

— What has gone into Russell’s improved performance over the last 10 games? Is it sustainable? How will his role change without Towns? How can Russell help Rudy Gobert play better while Towns is out?

— How will Naz Reid’s role change during KAT’s absence?

— Why haven’t Nate Knight or Luka Garza seen time on the floor since Towns got injured? Will we see more of those two moving forward or will minutes for them be more of a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ situation?

— Jaden McDaniels struggles with foul trouble again in his return from his three-game absence with an illness. Why are the Wolves such a different team when he is in foul trouble? Is there a consistent theme with his fouling?

(If you can’t access the Spotify player above, click here to listen to the latest episode on Spotify).

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