The Minnesota Timberwolves are now 10-10 following their loss to the Golden State Warriors. Things have not been easy for the newly constructed roster; they have failed to gel on either side of the court so far. The offense is scoring 114 points per game, which is the middle of the pack in the NBA. The defense is also giving up a ton of points, as evidenced by the 137 points, the Golden State Warriors poured in during their win on Sunday night.
The Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert in the hope that it would take them to the next level. Despite the size they have at their disposal, including their two stars, the Timberwolves are 19th in rebounding in the NBA. The Warriors also exposed them by continuously attacking the rim; they scored 77 points outside of three-pointers. And this has led to some harsh words from veteran guard Austin Rivers.
Austin Rivers Went At The Minnesota Timberwolves Big Men
Austin Rivers is a veteran in the league; he’s been around for a long time. So when he spoke to The Athletic after the game, his words about the Timberwolves will have been taken seriously in the locker room. Rivers challenged the team to play better in the paint as they are committed to playing big.
“If we are going to play (big), we’ve got to dominate in the paint,” Rivers said after the 137-114 loss. “If we’re going to play big, we’ve got to be big. Their big man was Draymond today. If we’re going to continue to play that way, we’ve got to find ways to get better at it. It’s early, but at the same time, it’s not. It’s getting to the point where a lot of games are coming by now, so we’ll just continue getting better.”
Rivers’ words are a challenge to the likes of Gobert and Towns. The fact that they have not been able to properly stamp their authority is not a good sign for the team. Gobert has been subtly called out by D’Angelo Russell already, while also not being a favorite of Anthony Edwards if stats are anything to go by.
The coaching staff needs to do something about the way things are going. Not only do the players have to play better, but the fit needs to be figured out. Ultimately, the Timberwolves need to make serious noise in the playoffs if they don’t want to be viewed as losers in the Rudy Gobert trade.
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