One of the big stories coming into the postseason was the performance of the
Wolves’ young players.
Several key pieces of this team are in the midst of their first-ever playoff
run–including Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns’ playoffs didn’t get off to the best start, but he unlocked something in
Game 3 that should carry over to the rest of his playoff games–and the rest of
his career. Towns refused to back down, even in the face of some of the most
difficult basketball he’s ever had to play.
“The playoffs are all about toughness, and I think our young guys are starting
to learn that,” said coach Tom Thibodeau after Monday’s shootaround. “Adding
guys like have helped to speed up the process.”
“Experience is the greatest teacher. He’s learning that,” said Thibodeau of
Towns. “Just learning, the ball will find the energy. The more he’s being
double-teamed, how you respond and react to that is critical. You can’t let that
take away from your aggression.”
“KAT did a really good job of getting to his areas last game and making plays,”
said Jeff Teague. “Everybody is just growing together.”
Wiggins has not had the same struggle. Through three games he’s been the most
consistent player on the Wolves, playing with confidence and poise in the most
pressure-filled contests he has ever been a part of. His teammates are taking
notice:
“We all know what he’s capable of. He’s just got to have that mindset that he’s
going to go out and show how he’s the best player on the floor,” said Butler.
“Everybody’s trying to instill that in him, whenever he decides to do it, you
get that performance you got last game.”
Andrew Wiggins drives in for the scoop!@Timberwolves 73 | @HoustonRockets 68 in
Q3.#AllEyesNorth @ESPNNBA pic.twitter.com/AxByJW0Vp3
Wiggins isn’t paying attention to any outside noise–he doesn’t go on social
media very much, he says he’d rather play video games and play with his dog.
“We’re not really worried about what the outside world thinks,” he said.
“Feeding into all that stuff is poison. You don’t want to let it get to you. You
just have to stay focused and do what you have to do.”
That’s exactly the mature attitude the Wolves need from their young star. Coming
off a win on Saturday, Minnesota is ready to come out with energy and focus in
Game 4. With every game, the younger Wolves players become that much more
experienced. While it will take a while for Towns and Wiggins to understand the
playoffs like Teague and Butler do, they should be very proud of the progress
they’ve shown so far.
Player: Jimmy Butler
Player: Taj Gibson
Player: Jeff Teague
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Player: Andrew Wiggins
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/young-wolves-experience-best-teacher
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson,
Jeff Teague, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Tom Thibodeau, Houston Rockets,
Minnesota Timberwolves
Media Thumbnail:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/sites/timberwolves/files/shootaroundg4.jpg
Taxonomy: Shootaround
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/young-wolves-experience-best-teacher
