The rise of the wolf clan is no longer just a slogan

It's only about basketball

2024-06-03 13:31Posted in Beijing Sports Creators

If you also follow my Weibo, you will find that I often add an entry #WolfClan Rise # when posting Timberwolves content. At first, it was just for fun, and of course I didn't expect the Timberwolves to make it all the way to the Western Conference finals this season and eliminated the big demon Nuggets.

Although the Timberwolves did not play very well in the West Finals, and the last game of the season was a complete rout, the Timberwolves' season must not be said to be a failure. Third in the West in the regular season, swept the Suns with the Big Three in the first round, and eliminated the defending champion by 20 points in the semifinals, reaching the division finals for the first time in 20 years.

If winning a championship is defined as a success, then only one team in the NBA can be called a success in a season. But for a team like the Timberwolves, which has struggled in the belly team for many years and has finally had the hope of rising in the past two years, this season can indeed be called a "rise".

Thanks to Downs' selfless dedication, Huazi's position as the "head wolf" has been completely consolidated this season. In the regular season, Huazi averaged 25.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, and his average points and efficiency per game were actually similar to last season. What really made Huazi soar was his playoffs.

swept the Suns in four games in the first round, and Huazi faced his idol Durant with an average of 31 points, 8 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, shooting 51.2% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range. In seven games in the second round, he averaged 27.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range.

However, it was also in the second round that Huazi's weaknesses began to be gradually exposed, and he was pinched to death by the Lone Ranger in the Western Finals. In the entire Western Finals, Huazi only averaged 24.6 points per game, and none of the 5 games scored more than 30 points.

Before the Western Finals, Huazi was already able to surpass Jordan and Kobe Bryant in public opinion, but a round of Western Finals made Huazi fall to the mortal world. In the last six games of the season, that is, from the start of the tie-break, Huazi lost his due edge and was very uncomfortable by the defense.

The problem of playing the ball is a cliché, and compared with the previous two seasons, Huazi's ball has improved a lot. But when encountering a high-end bureau and a bag with three layers inside and three layers outside, Huazi will still make those low-level mistakes.

This is actually Huazi's lack of key ball ability, and it is inevitable to panic when facing a big scene. His offense relies too much on three-point touch, and the more opponents give him shots, the more obsessed he is with top-shot three-pointers and falls into the trap of opponents.

Compared with Doncic and Irving, Huazi still lacks a stable scoring method, whether it is a mid-range shot or a breakthrough, it is not enough to "kill". The three-point feel is even more ethereal, a stable scoring means is the standard configuration of superstars, and Huazi obviously has a lot of room for growth.

It is also because Huazi is not yet a mature body, so his future has infinite possibilities. A Huazi who is not so mature has already amazed the world, so if he is given another two or three years, maybe he can really become the first person in the world as he said.

The triple high of Towns, Gobert and Reed is a big killer for the Timberwolves this season, and it is also the biggest reason why their regular season defense tops the league. And the contracts of these three are relatively stable, so the "three highs" are impossible for the Timberwolves to dismantle, and the owner of the Timberwolves also said that he will pay a luxury tax to retain the current core lineup.

However, a very real problem is that the Timberwolves' salary bonus will end at the end of this season. This season, Huazi is still on a rookie contract, with a salary of only more than 13 million. And Downs' big contract has not yet begun to be executed, with a salary of more than 36 million this season.

Next season, both Huazi and Towns' maximum salary contracts will be executed, and with Gobert's $43.83 million contract, the Timberwolves' total salary next season will reach $193 million, ranking second in the league and second only to the Suns (total salary of $205 million).

Of course, next season hasn't started yet, and the Timberwolves will certainly not sit still in the offseason, and the total salary may change a lot. The Timberwolves now have Lee Kyle, Monte Morris and McLaughlin all set to be full free agents in the offseason, and Lee still has to be retained.

Many people say that the Timberwolves' championship window has closed with the disappearance of salary dividends, but I think the key to whether the Timberwolves' championship window is closed is whether Huazi can go further on the existing basis, which is difficult for him, but it must be done.

What Huazi needs to figure out is whether he wants to develop in the direction of the ball-holding core, or in the direction of a super scorer. The former requires Huazi to improve his passing vision and ball quotient, and the latter requires Huazi to improve his offensive skills, have a stable scoring method as I said earlier, and have good off-ball ability.

Either way, it's hard for Hanako. At least he is still very young, with Huazi, the wolf king, the wolf cubs of the Timber Wolves have a future, and the rise of the wolf clan is no longer just a slogan.

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