Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
The 2016-17 season has been somewhat of a roller coaster for newly signed Minnesota Timberwolves forward Omri Casspi.
In October, Casspi kicked off his eighth NBA season in Sacramento, appearing in 22 games for the Kings.
In February, three days before the trade deadline, Casspi was traded along with DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. In his debut with the Pelicans, Casspi ended up suffering a broken right thumb that once again threw a curveball in his season.
After sitting out nearly four weeks, Casspi found himself on his third team in a month, signing with the Wolves on March 20.
“It’s funny, I made the joke yesterday that within a month, I’ve had three jerseys on. From Feb. 20 to March 20. I was in Sacramento still and then going to New Orleans and now here,” Casspi said earlier this week. “I’m just playing basketball. It’s going to be fun and I am going to enjoy this ride.
“I’ve had a rough season with the injuries and the trade and stuff that was going on and I felt like this is a place of stability and an organization that is going in the right direction with coach Thibs and everything that is going on. We have young guys that can help and they can help me. That’s how I look at it.”
Although he has bounced around, Casspi is happy to have landed in Minnesota and for the opportunity with the Wolves.
“I’m pretty comfortable with my role and what I need to do when I step on the court. One thing I looked at is this young team obviously needs veterans around them to help them win. Everybody knows the talent they have here and looking for stability for the future and stuff like that,” he said. “I want to share some of my experiences and help this team win basketball game and learn how to play with them, enjoy this ride and see where it goes from there. . . You can really tell you came into a good organization, so I’m excited.”
Along with the opportunity to get playing time and play with the current players on the team, playing under Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau was another thing that drew Casspi to Minnesota.
“Being able to play under coach Thibs and kind of be in a situation where I can play and help the team win and obviously compete for the playoffs. I thought my talk with coach was great and I feel like this is the right situation for me,” he said. “I played against him when he was in Chicago for many years. The fact that he is a hard-nosed, tough, blue collar coach and defensively and offensively he knows what needs to get done. It’s a privilege to be able to work with a coach like that and I look forward to the opportunity.”
Casspi made his Minnesota debut last Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center, sporting his new No. 18 Wolves uniform. Casspi finished with five points and one rebound in 22 minutes off the bench.
“From the times we’ve played him, he’s a great shooter. He does a great job scoring the ball and coming off screens, so we will try to utilize him the best of his game to our advantage,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of his new teammate. “The biggest thing is you just make them feel comfortable. When you feel comfortable with the locker room and the setting, you’re able to be yourself and play like yourself. . . Making him feel comfortable in the locker room allows him to play to his full capacity and right now he’s doing a great job.”
Casspi, who became the first Israeli-born player to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2009, said he is focused on bringing his game to the Wolves. That includes his ability to shoot and make key hustle plays.
“We need shooting, we know that. Particularly the way everyone is guarding (Towns) and (Wiggins) and Ricky is starting to see more double teams out of the pick-and-roll also,” Thibodeau said. “We think (Casspi) can open up the floor and he’s shown throughout his career he’s been a really good shooter. We’ve always liked him.”
Although the 2016-17 season has been somewhat of a roller coaster for Casspi, he’s focused on helping the Wolves make a late push in the final 12 games of the regular season.
“For me it’s about going out and playing,” Casspi said. “I’m looking to do what I do. Come off the bench and bring energy, bring rebounding, run and shoot open shots and defend and take hard fouls and do the stuff I do."