National Basketball Association

Four overreactions from the Timberwolves opening week

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After two games the Minnesota Timberwolves are 0-2 — a disappointment to say the least.

The coaches will say that the players are young and still learning. Writers will tell you that the expectations were set too high. And fans, well, they’ll proclaim that Karl-Anthony Towns is the savior of Timberwolves basketball.

I am here to tell you that everything you have heard is a lie and that you should be overreacting to the Wolves opening week. Here are four overreactions from the Timberwolves young season.

Overreaction #1: The bench is still terrible.

In the first game against Memphis the bench shot just 8-for-23 from the floor — good for exactly 17 points and zero made threes.

In the second game against Sacramento, the Wolves bench put forward 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Through two games, the bench is averaging 18 points on 38.8 percent shooting. In terms of bench points, these numbers would have placed the Wolves bench at the bottom of the league last year. The worst bench in the league last year, The Detroit Pistons, averaged 25.7 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting.

Overreaction #2: In his year off, Tom Thibodeau and Co. forgot that the third quarter exists.

Over the first two Wolves games, the team leads the league in first quarter points, averaging 33 per period. That sounds good, right? Hang on. The Wolves are last in the league in third quarter points, averaging just 14.

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While it’s obvious that the Wolves have struggled offensively in the third quarter, let’s pair this with the fact that the two Wolves opponents are averaging an Offensive Efficiency Rating of 129.2 in the same quarter and you have a recipe for disaster.

Overreaction #3: Karl Anthony-Towns is a bust.

Karl Anthony-Towns lit the league on fire last year and was seen as the future of Minnesota basketball. His poise, offensive skill set, defensive intensity and leadership qualities all pointed towards a Hall of Fame career. Sadly, at the beginning of his second year with the Wolves it’s easy to see that Karl Anthony-Towns is a bust.

Through two games the Kentucky product has averaged 18 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists and one block a game on 48.5 percent shooting. All of those numbers, except for the assists, are down from last year. So much for the Timberwolves savior.

Overreaction #4: The Timberwolves will go 0-82.

It’s been two games and the Wolves have yet to record a win. After all of the hype and excitement that was placed on this team they’ve let us down once again.

In the grander scheme of things, the 2009-10 Timberwolves are a better a team, and they won 15 games. That’s why this year’s Wolves will become the worst team in NBA history and lose every single game.

Fans and analysts everywhere are going to overreact with the Wolves, especially with a new coach and a promising future. The team is only two games into a 82-game season. Between the leadership of head coach Tom Thibodeau, and the basketball talent of Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves will be just fine.

We’ll have a preview of Tuesday night’s home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies later in the day, and a recap following the tilt. Keep it tuned to Dunking With Wolves, ladies and gentlemen.

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