The Minnesota Timberwolves rocky start to the season continued as they fell to a 105-110 loss to the 3-12 Toronto Raptors, who picked up their fourth win of the season in this game. The Timberwolves have fallen to 8-7 on the season and will look at this as an unacceptable loss.
Rudy Gobert and summer acquisition Julius Randle don’t appear to be on the same page, as Gobert got frustrated at Randle not passing him the ball when the score was 95-95, intentionally picking up a 3-second violation with Anthony Edwards furious at the pair.
https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1859791851974427104
Randle was not happy with Gobert’s actions on that play but chose to give the ball up to Gobert for the final possession of the game as Gobert leaked out for an open dunk. Unfortunately, Gobert fumbled the pass as time expired to confirm the Timberwolves’ loss, with Randle walking away visibly disappointed.
Julius Randle grabs a missed free throw and races the ball up the court before zipping the ball to Rudy Gobert as if to say, "fine, here ya go." Gobert fumbles the pass and Randle slumps his shoulders before walking off.
Chemistry issues in Minnesota.pic.twitter.com/Em2jpjK2qc
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) November 22, 2024
Randle was having a solid game, putting up 23 points (5-12 FG) with nine rebounds and two steals, while Gobert had a double-double with 13 points (4-5 FG) and 11 rebounds, along with a steal and two blocks. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points (8-15 FG) and seven rebounds, with Anthony Edwards leading the group with 26 points (9-20 FG), two steals, and two blocks in the loss.
Randle’s former co-star RJ Barrett led the Raptors to this win with 31 points (10-14 FG), seven rebounds, and three steals, with Chris Boucher coming off the bench to put up 22 points (7-13 FG) and two blocks. Scottie Barnes recently returned from injury and had an impressive 17 points (5-11 FG) and six assists in the win.
The Timberwolves aren’t on the same page right now, with chemistry proving slow to build after a shock trade this summer which sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Randle is averaging 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for the Timberwolves and has been a solid contributor, although his offensive peaks do not come close to replicating what Towns did. The team’s overall defense has also worsened, with Towns’ contributions on that end being underrated last season when Minnesota had the best defense in the NBA.
DiVincenzo is averaging 9.5 points on 34.8% from the field in what’s been a shockingly bad campaign for the former Knick. He was expected to be a potential starter with his floor-spacing and defensive abilities, but he hasn’t been able to earn that role based on his performances, even with Mike Conley ruled out with injury.
Edwards has been doing a great job as the team’s on-court leader, but he needs to find a way to get Randle and Gobert on the same page. If the two frontcourt stars can’t build chemistry with each other, Minnesota might be staring down the barrel of a major mid-season trade to get rid of one of the two players.
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