Timberpups Tracker: Landmark moments for Towns, Wiggins
The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the most exciting collections of young players on an NBA roster with nearly half of their players 25 or younger. Every Thursday, FOX Sports North tracks the progress of those young Timberwolves.
This is the 11th edition of the 2016-17 Timberpups Tracker.
(A glossary of the advanced statistics used for season totals, which are from basketball-reference.com. can be found at the end of this article)
KRIS DUNN (age 22, first season)
Statistical season averages: 17.0 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, 36.8 FG%, 28.6 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 24.7 minutes, 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, 31.6 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 7.8 PER, 42.9 TS%, 15.6 USG%, 87 ORtg, 107 DRtg, -0.1 VORP
Notable: Dunn logged major minutes off the bench in the Wolves' win over the Clippers, before starting in place of Ricky Rubio against Denver. The win over the Nuggets was one of Dunn's best games of the season. He registered 10 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, but also went just 3-for-8 from the field.
TYUS JONES (age 20, second season)
Statistical season averages: 10.8 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.0 blocks, 42.4 FG%, 46.4 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 15.9 minutes, 6.5 points, 0.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 33.3 FG%, 100 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 15.6 PER, 57.5 TS%, 14.5 USG%, 121 ORtg, 110 DRtg, 0.1 VORP
Notable: Jones' minutes have been a little less sporadic than they were before Zach LaVine's hip injury, but the second-year guard sat out again Tuesday for the Wolves' win over the Suns. He had a solid game against the Nuggets, registering nine points and four assists in nearly 20 minutes of action.
ZACH LAVINE (age 21, third season)
Statistical season averages: 37.1 minutes, 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 46.3 FG%, 40.2 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 35.4 minutes, 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.0 blocks, 33.3 FG%, 15.4 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 15.0 PER, 58.1 TS%, 22.0 USG%, 113 ORtg, 114 DRtg, 0.8 VORP
Notable: LaVine hasn't been the same since missing back-to-back games with a hip contusion two weeks ago. He had just 11 points in the win over Phoenix, his best game of the week, and went 10-for-30 from the field in three games. LaVine is planning to skip the Slam Dunk Contest this year, robbing us of a rematch between LaVine and fellow dunk virtuoso Aaron Gordon.
SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD (age 24, fourth season)
Statistical season averages: 18.8 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 46.4 FG%, 42.6 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 26.2 minutes, 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.0 blocks, 60.7 FG%, 55.6 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 12.9 PER, 56.6 TS%, 19.4 USG%, 112 ORtg, 114 DRtg, -0.5 VORP
Notable: Muhammad played a season-high 33:27 in the win over Denver, scoring at least 20 points for just the third time this season and adding five rebounds. He was a solid contributor once again vs. Phoenix, scoring 16 points.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS (age 21, second season)
Statistical season averages: 36.2 minutes, 22.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.5 blocks, 50.3 FG%, 31.6 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 39.7 minutes, 29.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks, 67.3 FG%, 50.0 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 23.0 PER, 57.7 TS%, 27.2 USG%, 114 ORtg, 107 DRtg, 2.4 VORP
Notable: We've done a deep-dive on Towns' back-to-back 30/10/5 games already. It was a big deal. He dropped 37 points on the Clippers and led the Wolves to a win over the Nuggets with 32 points. On top of that Towns topped 40 minutes in both games, was named to the Rising Stars Challenge for the second straight year and could still make the All-Star Game as a reserve.
ANDREW WIGGINS (age 21, third season)
Statistical season averages: 37.0 minutes, 22.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, 44.9 FG%, 34.6 3PT%
Statistical averages, last week: 38.5 minutes, 27.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 50.0 FG%, 44.4 3PT%
Advanced stats, season: 15.3 PER, 53.0 TS%, 27.8 USG%, 105 ORtg, 113 DRtg, -0.3 VORP
Notable: We're going to be talking about that buzzer-beater forever. It was the 15th game-winning make in franchise history, and gave Wiggins 33 points on the night, his sixth 30-point game of the season.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PER -- Player Efficiency Rating: A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.
TS% -- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.
USG% -- Usage Percentage: An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.
ORtg -- Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions.
DRtg -- Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.
VORP -- Value over Replacement Player: A box score estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.
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