Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
The NBA season is a long season. All 30 NBA teams have 82 games jammed into five and a half months and about half of those teams advance to keep playing throughout the NBA Playoffs.
One important factor during the course of a season is depth. Every team has a player or two who misses time due to an injury, personal matter or other reasons.
Within the last month, the Wolves have been that team who has had its depth tested with the absence of a few starters. And for the most part, it has come from guys who have played in somewhat limited roles for Minnesota this season.
But they stay prepared, they stay ready, and they have played a large role in Minnesota winning six of its last eight games following Tuesday night's thrilling win over the Phoenix Suns by filling in those vacant spots.
Earlier this month, Zach LaVine went down with a hip injury that sidelined him for two games. Veteran wing Brandon Rush, who has averaged 13.9 minutes per game this season mainly coming off the bench, filled LaVine's role in the starting lineup during that span.
Rush provided a much-needed lift in the starting rotation with LaVine out. In those two games, Rush averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, two assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game and helped Minnesota to back-to-back wins over the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively.
“It's always about being prepared. You never know when your number is going to called,” Rush said. “I've been doing it for the last couple years whenever guys get injured, I get thrown in the lineup. You got to be a professional and be ready whenever your name is called.”
Most recently, Minnesota has seen the same thing occur with rookie point guard Kris Dunn and second-year guard Tyus Jones, coming off the bench while also filling in for Ricky Rubio in his recent absence from the team due to personal reasons.
“You just got to be ready when your name is called. Just come in, produce and try to help anyway you can and help this team win. That's all I try to do,” Jones said. “These guys trust me, which means a lot to me. They have faith in me to come in and lead them.”
Dunn and Jones both played large roles in the Wolves winning their last three games, including playing in key moments in wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.
“Tyus and Kris playing together, they have played really well. . . What you guys don't see is they play a lot together in practice and they have a very good chemistry in practice, so you feel like it'll work in a game too,” Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I like that look, I like what it does for us. It gives us multiple guys who can go off the dribble and force the defense to collapse and make a play.”
Dunn, who has spent most of his time as the backup to Rubio, averaged 7.5 points, 6.5 assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block in that two-game span, including going off for 10 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in his sixth career start last Sunday against Denver.
This season, Dunn is averaging 3.9 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and one steal in 17 minutes per game this season.
“I think he's been coming on for a while. His defense has been terrific since the beginning, but I think offensively now he is beginning to figure it out,” Thibodeau said. “Kris wants to make plays, he wants to make plays for others. His playmaking is huge for us. Defensively, there are a lot of hustle plays he makes. . . You're not going to knock him around. Kris has a lot of toughness to him.”
Jones, who has played limited minutes as the No. 3 option at point guard, has averaged 6.5 points and four assists in the last two games in mainly late-game situations.
Jones is averaging 3.4 points, 2.1 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 10.8 minutes per game this season.
“He is great in practice, he's great in preparation. I think he's going to get better and better as time goes along. Every time he plays, good things do happen,” Thibodeau said. “I like his readiness. . . He's so consistent and he practices great. That gives me confidence that when he does go in, I know he is going to perform well. He takes no shortcuts, he's a great teammate, he adds a lot to our team. I know what he adds to our team, even when he's not playing. He's a very important member to this team.”
Among the list of things have gone right during the Wolves' current three-game winning streak, the production on big stages from key contributors is near the top.
“We believe in one another out there. And I think that is key. We have a great group,” Jones said.
