If there’s one play that sums up the Wolves’ attitude through the opening stretch of their season, it’s Derrick Rose driving right at the seven-foot Rudy Gobert in the Wolves’ victory over the Jazz on Wednesday. There was no fear in Rose’s body when he did that, and so far this year there’s been no fear in the Wolves.
It hasn’t been an easy schedule to open the season. The Wolves’ last three games have been against LeBron James’ Lakers, the up-and-coming Jazz and the defending champions, the Warriors. Two of those three games have been wins and even in Friday night’s loss in Golden State, the Wolves were right there with the Warriors through three quarters.
The Wolves don’t like losing. After Rose dropped 50 he said the most important thing was winning—his teammates believed him. Karl-Anthony Towns has talked constantly over the course of a season that has seen his numbers drop about the stats not being the important thing. This year’s Wolves team is not afraid of the moment—they’re not listening to the people who say they don’t have enough talent, or chemistry, or consistency to win. When they’re faced with big challenges, they step up and fight.
The attitude is one thing, but staying competitive also requires a roster that can hang with the best. We’ve always known the Wolves have one of the most talented starting lineups in the league, but this season the Wolves’ depth has been a great surprise. The bench has shown off an ability to hold and even grow leads and give the starters real rest. It’s been tough the last few games because of injuries to Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, Jimmy Butler and more recently Rose, but the fact that the Wolves haven’t lost significant ground without their starting point guard speaks volumes about this squad’s construction.
Josh Okogie can play. That might end up being the most important realization of this season. He’s been helped by injuries to other players that have allowed him more of an opportunity to play, but he’s seized the moment too. He’s arguably the best defender on the team, and his offense is coming along. Gorgui Dieng has also been essential after a frustrating 2017-18 campaign. His defense has rebounded and he’s been hitting shots from the outside, helping to stretch the floor for the bench unit. Anthony Tolliver is as good a shooter and a leader as advertised. Tyus Jones was phenomenal in the start last night. I could go on.
Things aren’t about to get easier for Minnesota. They play the Blazers Sunday night—another defensive test. Then they play the Clippers on Monday, the Lakers on Wednesday and the surprisingly-good Kings on Friday.
The best teams are ones that find ways to stay competitive despite adversity and come March and April, the Wolves will be glad that they’ve endured such a trial by fire early. Winning every game is great, but learning from losses is important too. Minnesota has played well enough to take good things away from their losses and come back stronger. Everyone has stepped up when asked and all things considered, we’re off to a fun start to the season. Now the challenge is to keep up the energy.