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The Minnesota Timberwolves kicked off their 2018-1919 season on Wednesday in the strangest of circumstances. Their best player, Jimmy Butler, does not want to be part of the team, but he still took the field with the rest of the team.
Here are five points to remember from the San Antonio Spurs' fun, physical, 112-108 home and away win against the Timberwolves.
Jimmy, the rusty alpha
Butler reminded us of one thing: there's a reason why Tom Thibodeau was dying to see him play for the Wolves this season … and there's a reason why NBA teams are planning a pre-season . Butler was the alpha dog of the Wolves from beginning to end. He was the last player out when Minnesota left the locker room. He dominated the keys (23 shots to the top of the team), unlike Karl-Anthony Towns (2 of 6 for eight points in 22 minutes before committing a foul). But Butler, who did not play any pre-season games with his teammates, showed obvious signs of rust. He missed several undisputed layups and bunnies – shots that could have tipped the game for the Wolves – and only managed nine of his 23 shots.
Dejunte already missing
Dejounte Murray's pre-season injury to LCA will be an incredibly difficult obstacle to Spurs' defense. In three games against the Spurs last season, Wolves goalkeeper Jeff Teague scored 14.3 points. He scored more than 25 points exactly once last season. Wednesday night, Teague was on fire while the Spurs gave him far too much open fire. He scored 27 points on just 12 shots and continued to convince the Spurs to defile him. If a healthy Murray was against Teague, he would have had to work twice as hard for half of that production.
3-point drought
The three points matter. The Timberwolves were dead in the NBA last season in attempts at 3 points, averaging 22.5 attempts per game. They did not manage this match in the opening game on Wednesday night, taking only 19-3 – and only six of them. Meanwhile, the Spurs did not shoot a whopping 3, but they did it at a high rate. The team that finished 27th in the NBA last season in three attempts (average of 24.3 points per game) scored 11 of 25 attempts Wednesday night. Davis Bertans in particular (3 out of 4 among the deepest players) made big shots at big moments. If the opening game on Wednesday is a harbinger of what is coming, the Wolves will continue to be an old school basketball team this season in terms of spreading the word.
The beginnings of DeMar
DeMar DeRozan looks great in a Spurs uniform, thank you very much. It's not just that DeRozan scored 28 points, a top in the match, mainly on a balanced diet of his mid-range specialties. It was that he had the best numbers of all players on the field Wednesday night, scoring a plus-seven in 38 minutes. The game resembled a statement tailored to his biggest detractors, who consider DeRozan as an overrated star who displays numbers, but does not help his team. Maybe some of Gregg Popovich's defensive goals are exactly what the doctor prescribed.
A reason to hope?
Maybe this drama of Jimmy Butler will calm down in Minnesota. Did you notice that Butler and Towns were chatting on the Wolf Bank during the match? I did! Did you notice Towns and Butler falling after the presentations, and then Butler breaking the group of the team in preparation and screaming? I did! It may have been concocted by Thibs for Butler to encourage these young wolves to do their best. Maybe Butler will stay in Minnesota after all and sign an extension with the Wolves, and this franchise will be competing for the titles of the next few years. While I'm at it, Andrew Wiggins may stop stopping to make two long passes and start playing in an enlightened defense, and realize that he's supposed to be fouling the balloon manager. immediately after your team misses a shot in two with 14 seconds instead of letting him dribble six seconds late. I laugh. None of these things will happen. This drama will surely end in disaster.
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