Luke Ridnour sees it. The Timberwolves veteran guard feels the cohesive bond within the team’s locker room this season—everyone pitching in each night.
Ridnour is right in the thick of it. Traditionally a point guard, he entered this season in a logjam at that position with the free agent signing of JJ Barea and the arrival of rookie Ricky Rubio. But Ridnour’s consistency and his ability to transform his game has made him a pivotal part of the Wolves success this season.
With the team shuffling the lineup, Ridnour distinguished himself as a viable starter at the shooting guard position. The result? Minnesota has a pure passer in Rubio and a sharpshooter in Ridnour on the floor to start games, and the team’s ball movement from its back court is opening up shots for the rest of the team.
“It’s a lot better, the team chemistry,” Ridnour said. “The guys, you can just tell there’s a will to win and we all want to make each other better. And just being in the locker room, everyone is a lot better, motivated I guess.”
Ridnour has always had a smooth shot, but his scoring this season is becoming more and more evident with each passing game. His 49.0 field-goal percentage and his 12.5 points per game are both the best of his nine-year career.
At points during the season—particularly during his 25-point outburst against the Sacramento Kings on Monday—it appears every time Ridnour puts up a shot it’s going to go in. But Ridnour knows there are ups and downs within games and seasons. He’s just trying to be as consistent as he can.
For this quiet but deadly guard, he knows each game is different and you can’t be 100 percent all the time – but that will not stop him from giving it his all.
He knows how the game goes. Sometimes you’re on, sometimes you’re not. He is in it to play and if he does well, then he has done his job. And he knows as well as fans and the media do that it’s tough to be on every game.
“You can’t control it all the time – whether it goes in or not. You just try to keep it light (mentality),” Ridnour said. “I really just want to help the team win some games.”
For much of the season, Ridnour’s been leading the way with his consistency. Working alongside Rubio much of the time and rotating over to the point guard spot when Rubio or Barea are not in the game, Ridnour continues to bring a veteran presence to a young team trying to build its identity both as an offensive unit as well as on the defensive end.