Another game, another win that slipped through the Timberwolves’ fingers.
Leading for a good part of the contest which included a 10-point advantage at halftime, Minnesota was unable to hold on to their lead once and lost to the Phoenix Suns last night 107-104.
“We gave this one away, this is hard,” Zach LaVine said after Monday night’s loss. “We came out dead in the second half. We were up by 10 points and they took the lead in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. They’re a great team but I don’t’ think it should have come to that. We should have come out and had a better outing in the third quarter and been more aggressive and more efficient and a little more smart with our play.”
In 2016, the Wolves have played 34 games. In that time, they are 9-25. Last night’s heartbreaker was the 11th time in those 25 losses that Minnesota has lost a game that was within two possessions or six points at the end of the ballgame.
Minnesota, in 2016, is 6-11 in ‘winnable’ games, or games that come down to the wire. So in half of the games played this calendar year, the Timberwolves have ‘been in’ or put themselves in the position to win.
So why isn’t Minnesota winning more close games? A lot boils down to inexperience.
Minnesota ranks 25th in the league, winning 38.5 percent of games that are ‘winnable’ or close in the last two minutes of the game. The Orlando Magic (26), Los Angeles Lakers (28) and Philadelphia 76ers (30) are all considered young teams who, like the Wolves, have trouble winning close games.
Take a look at Sam Mitchell’s, Minnesota’s interim head coach, postgame quotes last night:
We just made too many mental mistakes. Our young guys, as good as they’ve played, we just made too many mistakes and at some point, our guys on the bench, we’ve got to get some kind of bench production. Not just scoring, we’ve got to play some defense, get some rebounds. Everybody that comes in the game wants to score: play some defense, get a rebound, set a screen. Do some of the tough stuff and then the easy stuff, you’ll get shots. They’ve got to learn that. They’re bigger than us, more athletic and that’s been a problem for us all year.
Inefficiency. Mental Mistakes. Physicality. Attention to detail. All of the reasons Mitchell listed for why the Wolves came out on the losing end have to do with inexperience and being young.
Let’s take a quick look at the 2008-09 Oklahoma City Thunder. In their inaugural season in OKC, the Thunder had a rookie named Russell Westbrook (19), and two players heading into their second season: Jeff Green (22) and Kevin Durant (20). That season they went 23-59 under the tutelage of head coach P.J. Carlesimo and assistant Scott Brooks.
The next year, with those players previously listed having another season under their belt, after some free agency moves and solid draft picks which included James Harden, OKC went 50-32 and earned a playoff spot.
History is proof that experience cannot be taught, forced or rushed. In order for a young player to truly grow, they need to learn through the hardships of the NBA.
The average age of the eight players who account for the most minutes on the Wolves (who are still with Minnesota) is 22.75 years old, and that’s including 27-year-old rookie Nemanja Bjelica who’s been injury plagued throughout the season.
Minnesota is showing signs of growth in certain parts of their game, but unfortunately their youth gets exposed in close games.
“Games in the NBA are one possession and sometimes it’s in the first half when you don’t even realize,” Ricky Rubio said after last night’s loss. “That three was big. The only way we’re going to learn is playing these kinds of games. It’s good for a young team to play these kinds of games and be in the game.”
