For KAT, the plummet was from 24.2 to 15.1. But Wiggins’ usage rate in the clutch dropped from 34.9 in 2016-17 to 20.0 last season, per the stats page at NBA.com. (Photo: David Richard/USA TODAY Sports)īutler’s alpha status was especially prominent in clutch situations, one of the few aspects of the game that had consistently summoned palpable passion and pride out of Wiggins. Jimmy Butler was the best two-way player on the Wolves, but his clutch performance suffered and took opportunities from the team’s young stars. Instead, through his proxies, primarily Butler, he countenanced the alienation of both players.
The infusion of “TimberBulls” is Exhibit A for the most damning assessment of his 29-month tenure: That he was either unwilling or unable to accept the rather obvious fact that his best chance to eventually compete for a championship involved the full-scale development of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Butler would be the alpha and Gibson the beta in marching the rest of the roster through Thibodeau’s Tunnel of Grind.īut within that successful short-term gambit were the seeds of destruction for Thibodeau’s master plan. In Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, he acquired the two players in the entire NBA best able to model his brand of hoops both on the court and in the locker room. On that basis - synchronizing the culture of the franchise with his preferred mode of playing basketball - the summer of 2017 was a resounding success for Thibs. And that required a massive change in the team’s overall culture. To play that style not only required a maniacal work ethic, but an immersive experience in the Thibodeau program of competitive preparation and follow-through. In lieu of long-range buckets, he relied on a ground-and-pound offense that fiendishly harvested offensive rebounds while drawing fouls and free throws and limiting turnovers. That the result was a 16-win improvement and the Wolves’ first playoff appearance since 2004 is a tribute to Thibodeau’s stubborn adherence to the lingering power of his outmoded system. Last season, the Wolves finished last among 30 teams in 3-point takes and makes, last in bench minutes played, and 22nd in defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession). This is now a space-and-pace league built around 3-point shooting, rested starters, and defenses designed to flex and switch coverages. Against long odds, Thibs bet heavily on the momentum of his past success against the prevailing tides of modern NBA methodology. The roots of this are not hard to fathom, but merit a recap.
0 kommentar(er)
