In the timberwolves' sixth game against the Grizzlies, the Timberwolves were again reversed in the final quarter, eventually losing the game 106:114, thus being eliminated by the opponent by a large score of 2:4. In this crucial elimination game, Edwards and Towns, among the Timberwolves' "Big Three", performed very well, while Russell once again became a drag on the team, and he has also made a lot of unhappiness with the team.
In that game, Russell played only 27 minutes, only 7 shots hit 3 of them, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, only 7 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 3 steals, but made 4 turnovers, and only scored 2 points in the first half of the game. In the crucial fourth quarter, Russell, as the team's core point guard on the outside, only got 2 minutes of playing time, without any data in the account. Between Russell and McLaughlin, the Timberwolves head coach chose the more active one, and the latter did play better than Russell.
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Russell was undoubtedly very unhappy that he didn't get much chance to play in the last quarter. In a post-match interview, when asked how he felt about it, he said he was very unhappy about it: "I want to play, just like you want to do your job, like you want to cover it and tweet the news." I didn't get a chance to play at the time, but of course I wanted to play, there's no doubt about it. As you can see from Russell's words, he is very eager to get more playing time, and the Timberwolves' approach also makes him uncomfortable.
While russell's approach to the outside core of the team in the final quarter is somewhat unreasonable, it is also reasonable to do so in terms of Russell's performance in the sixth game and throughout the series. In the sixth game, Russell was in a "sleepwalking state" almost from the moment he started, achieving almost nothing on the offensive end. In the first quarter, although there were 3 assists and 3 steals, he only shot 2 three-pointers from the outside and failed to hit them, and he only scored 2 points on 1-of-2 shooting in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Russell seemed to have signs of recovery in the first half, scoring 5 points at the beginning, but soon he was in a slump again, and there was no sense of presence on the court.
Throughout the sixth game, russell saw almost no desire to win, and even though he had a good chance to pass. In addition to this, Russell's vitality was clearly insufficient throughout the game, and he was completely passive against the young and strong Grizzlies, making multiple mistakes, so it is not surprising that he will be pressed on the bench at the last minute. In fact, although Russell is currently the second highest salary in the Timberwolves lineup, and his four-year $117 million contract is second only to Downs's five-year $158 million contract, his performance in this series is completely unworthy of his salary.
According to statistics, in the six games of the entire series, Russell averaged only 12 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in the average 32.7 minutes per game, shooting a disastrous 33.3%, three-point shooting rate of 38.7%, and even the free throw shooting rate was only 75%. In the regular season this season, Russell's performance has shown signs of regression, with points per game and shooting percentage declining to a certain extent. As one of the Timberwolves' current playoff experience, fans had high expectations of him, but his performance in the playoffs was even more sluggish.
In the first two games of the series, Russell scored only 21 points in both games, shooting only 18.2% and 27.3% from the field, respectively, and did not contribute much to the team in terms of scoring. In the third game, although the game cut the full stats of 22 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, Russell shot as many as 21 times in the game, only hitting 9 of them. It was also the only game in the series in which Russell scored more than 20+, and in the fourth game, although the team won thrillingly, he scored only 10 points on only 3 of 12 shooting.
In the crucial Battle of King Mountain, Russell played as many as 39 minutes and only scored 12 points and 8 assists. In addition, in the last 20 seconds or so, when the Timberwolves were only one point behind, Russell, who had the ball, threw a shot that did not even touch the basket, and if the ball could hit, the whole game would be completely different. In this game, Russell didn't even get playing time in the fourth quarter. In short, after this series, the Timberwolves and Russell have a lot of dissatisfaction with each other.
In the middle of the 2019-2020 season, Russell, who played for the Warriors, averaged 23.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, which only gave his trade price a big boost, and the Warriors also used him as a chip to exchange Wiggins and the 2021 first-round pick (later selected Cuminga). But after the Timberwolves, Russell's performance suddenly had a big decline. In addition to the drop in shooting percentage and scoring per game, Russell's fighting spirit also seems to have a big problem. In this season's playoffs, Russell has also become the weakest link in the entire Timberwolves starting lineup.
Russell's current contract is a four-year, $117 million top salary contract with the Warriors in 2019 that expires in the offseason next season. If the Timberwolves want to be able to go further in the playoffs next season, they are likely to consider operating in the offseason, and russell's deal will be the most important part of that. If russell can be exchanged for some better chips in the offseason, it will be a good boost to the strength of the Timberwolves.
After the playoffs this season, Russell also began to be dissatisfied with his position on the team, and with The current explosion of Edwards, Russell's tactical position in the team will be greatly weakened. In short, after Russell has now voiced his grievances, it is likely that it is only a matter of time before the two sides part ways.