Friday night’s Timberwolves game against the Mavericks at Target Center is
filled with plenty of storylines.
As a content creator, the question is why can’t we spread all of this out?! But
such is life.
The biggest highlight is that it will be Ryan Saunders’ first home game as
interim head coach. Saunders will no doubt get a huge ovation from the home
crowd. Saunders grew up in the state, and it’s fair to say that he also grew up
in Target Center following the footsteps of his father.
“I think everything means more when you’re in front of more friends and family,
and especially the support of fans,” Saunders said after Friday’s shootaround.
“I gotta say, it’s been very kind of everybody to give well wishes and (say)
congrats on the win and stuff. Like I said before, this isn’t about who’s on the
sideline. This is about our team moving forward.”
It’s only been one game, but Saunders was incredibly poised in Tuesday night’s
win over the Thunder, a game that was nationally televised on NBA TV. The NBA
world was impressed, as were the Timberwolves players.
“He’s exceeded our expectations by margins,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He’s
doing a great job keeping the emphasis on making sure we’re being the best team
possible. He’s doing a great job right now.”
For Gorgui Dieng, Saunders’ success and calm demeanor hasn’t been a surprise.
“We’re not surprised,” Dieng said. “He’s been in this business so long, seeing
his dad doing it. He was working with his dad. I’m not surprised.”
After missing the last six games with an ankle injury, Derrick Rose expects to
play.
“Tonight is going to be a go,” Rose said. “I feel better. Probably got to take
it easy out there in my first game back. Listen to my body when I’m on the
floor. Try not to do too much. With the talent we have, I shouldn’t have to.”
With Jeff Teague back, Rose will go back to the second unit. Does that mean less
minutes for Josh Okogie or Anthony Tolliver? Probably not. Saunders hinted after
Thursday’s practice that a 10-man rotation could be used, something we haven’t
seen over the last few years. Don’t be surprised to see Rose’s minutes down a
bit either in his first game back.
On the season, Rose is averaging 18.9 points per game (most since 2011-12) and
4.8 assists (most since 2015-16) while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and
a career-high 46.2 percent from the 3-point line.
The Rookie of the Year favorite makes his debut at Target Center. Luke Doncic
has taken the NBA by storm this season, and rightfully so. Not to say we were
right, but well, here at Timberwolves.com we predicted Doncic would be an
absolute stud.
On the season, the 6’7 point forward is averaging 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and
4.9 assists per game while shooting 37.4 percent from the 3-point line.
“Obviously you see that he’s going to be something very special for the league,”
Towns said.
Against the Wolves back on Oct. 20, Doncic finished with 26 points, six
rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 4-for-9 from the 3-point
line.
It will be interesting to see how the Wolves guard Doncic. Having Rob Covington
would be perfect, but he’s still out with a bone bruise. Expect a team defense
mentality.
I wrote a bit about it on Thursday, but this will likely be Dirk Nowitzki’s last
game at Target Center. After 21 seasons, Nowitzki is expected to retire, and
what a run it has been.
Now, we see big men shooting 3-pointers all the time. But in the early 2000s, it
wasn’t all that cool. Nowitzki was the pioneer, launching five 3-pointers per
game 19 years ago. That’s helped pave the ways for big men like Towns.
“He’s given the bigs a standard of shooting, you know?” Towns said. “Being who
he was as a shooter and as an offensive player, it gave us tall guys an
opportunity to show that we can do much more than just have our back to the
basket.
Rose added onto that.
“His resume speaks for itself, especially if you’re a European player. He came
over here and not only did he compete against the American players, but he held
his own,” Rose said. “His legacy will always be here, engrained in the NBA. I
actually look at videos of him doing his shooting drills with his coach. I try
to emulate him. It’s nothing like that, but I try my hardest. . . He’s someone
who touched the game in a different way. He changed the game in a different way
where you have to have shooting bigs. He was probably the first one to change
the game like that.”
Nowitzki won’t play a huge role in the game. He’s playing just 9.9 minutes per
game this season, but it’s a chance for those in attendance to pay tribute to a
first-ballot Hall of Famer and a guy who changed the game for the better.
The Wolves will also be rocking their Prince City Edition uniforms.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Northand 830 WCCO. Tickets are available
here.
Media Content:
https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/shootaround-report-saunders-prepares-first-
home-game
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota
Timberwolves
Media Thumbnail:
https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/sites/timberwolves/files/shootaround-1-11-2019.j
pg
Story Link:
https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/shootaround-report-saunders-prepares-first-
home-game
