DD-Sport > Basketball > Kneel in two consecutive days in the Western Conference Finals! The Timberwolves hidden worries come?

Kneel in two consecutive days in the Western Conference Finals! The Timberwolves hidden worries come?

In the just past season, the Timberwolves fell to the gate of the Western Conference Finals again.

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twice broke into the Western Finals and returned in a defeat twice. The last time I faced Doncic's name-name tactic was so weak that I could not fight back. The second time I faced the young and energetic Thunder, I still couldn't cause much trouble.

For this young team, what is there to be a real breakthrough?

First, let the time go back to last season. The Timberwolves sent off Towns and welcomed Randle in the offseason, and partnered with Edwards to form a new core partner. After the reorganization of the

lineup, they showed strong dominance in the penalty area in the first round. Facing the Lakers' dual cores, the Timberwolves won three consecutive victories and advanced easily 4-1. In the semi-finals, the Warriors were full of wounded soldiers. They had no crushing defeat in the first game, but they completely grasped the situation later, and they simply won the series and entered the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive year.

Unfortunately, once it arrived in front of the Thunder, the team seemed to be unable to do so again. He was beaten for more than 25 points in two of the first three games. Although he scored 42 points at home to win, he lost 2 points in the fourth game and finally returned to Okawa City and completely collapsed. The final score was 1-4, exactly the same as last year before the finals.

has been eliminated for two consecutive years for the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years. It seems hopeful for this result, but it is also regrettable.

And when entering the offseason with regret, the Timberwolves' operations are not amazing.

The team first renewed Reed for 125 million yuan for five years. Later, after Randall refused to execute the player option, the two sides signed a new contract of 100 million yuan for three years to ensure that the core team of the playoffs remained unresolved. At the same time, the team also left behind experience veteran Ingles, who signed defensive champion Alexander Walker first and then sent to the Hawks, in exchange for a second round pick and some cash.

On the books, the team's penalty area is still stable, and the dual-core system of Edwards + Randle continues to be maintained. But the problem is that the backcourt defense is lost, and this shortcoming has not been compensated for by losing Walker's sharp forward defensive knife.

For a team that has reached the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years, this series of offseason operations is really hard to make people feel completely relieved.

At present, after Towns was traded, the Timberwolves' core has been completely given to Edwards.

Last season, his role positioning was almost completely offensive, and his defensive end was supported by Walker and McDaniels. But now that Walker has left, no matter how strong McDaniels is, he can only cover one point. Edwards will inevitably take on more defensive tasks in the new season.

But the problem is that Edwards has limited energy alone. He has to bear the team's first firepower point on the offensive end and consume it on the defensive end. What impact will this have on his game state? This is also the biggest question mark for the Timberwolves in the new season.

In addition, veteran Conley is gradually getting older and his presence in the game is gradually declining. But when he was not on the court, the Timberwolves had almost no stable ball-holding organization point. Although Edwards and Randle could play singles, they were more of them fighting alone, and the chemistry between the teams was still a little lacking.

In short, the team's biggest problem at the moment is that they lack the ball holding points on the offensive end.

In addition to the shortcomings, the Timberwolves' advantage still lies in the inside, and Gobert + Reed's defense and rebounding are still the top level in the Western Conference. But the two people's shortcomings are also obvious, with obvious defensive gaps on the outside, and the ball holding point is unstable, and the offensive system is very easy to be targeted by the opponent.

Recently looking at last season's regular season, the Timberwolves were once defended against the Bucks' regional joint defense; they were even restricted by their opponents' unlimited switchovers in the playoffs so that they could only forcefully execute inefficient singles. With such a lineup structure with obvious advantages and disadvantages, it is estimated that it will be difficult to go further in the playoffs even if it can maintain a top six seats in the playoffs.

So, the problem facing the Timberwolves arises:

Are they continuing to maintain the existing core framework and waiting for young people to grow? Or be bolder and integrate the chips to get a qualified ball holding point that can be plug-and-play? The answer to this question is likely to determine the direction of the Timberwolves in the next three years.

Of course, even if you maintain the original lineup and look forward to the new season, the Timberwolves are still a competitive team. If you want to get a qualitative change, the challenges they face will never be easy.

Edwards needs to maintain offensive firepower while taking on more defenses, and whether Randall can truly play a supporting role in the new system; how much defensive dominance can Gobert maintain as he gets older, and who should take over Conley's point guard role in the future? These questions are still difficult to get a definite answer at present.

Combined with the reality of the West, the new season is still surrounded by strong enemies, including the Thunder, the Nuggets, the Mavericks, the Rockets, and even the Los Angeles two-man. These opponents are constantly improving. It is actually not easy for the Timberwolves to safely stabilize the top six, let alone continue to maintain the goal of the Western Conference Finals, or even break through to the Western Conference Finals, which is even more difficult.

From a less optimistic perspective, perhaps the Timberwolves' winning window is not as long as we imagined.

Even though Edwards has taken over the position of the Wolf King, basketball has never been a one-person game. The two consecutive years of elimination in the Western Conference Finals may also mean that it is time for the Timberwolves to attack the existing lineup.

As for choosing to continue to make steady progress, or to bet on the future with a big bet? Wait until the new season will reveal the answer.