This is the ninth in a 15-part series evaluating each Timberwolves player's performance during the 2014-15 season. Find the entire series here.
Before finally showing shades of the potential he exhibited before two operations on the same knee derailed his career, Chase Budinger received a longer rest than normal.
Physically, the Timberwolves swing man was a full go heading into 2014-15, his sixth NBA season and third with Minnesota. But a glut of wing players that included Andrew Wiggins, Corey Brewer, Kevin Martin and Shabazz Muhammad had Budinger spending a lot of time in a familiar locale -- the bench.
The only difference was he wore his game uniform instead of street clothes.
But that all changed during the season's final weeks as a Wolves injury weed morphed into a forest of physical calamity. From an individual standpoint, Budinger proved one of the beneficiaries, coming off the bench as the Wolves' top reserve scorer and averaging 33 minutes per game during the season's final month.
"It's a little bit that he was able to stay with it and be able to keep on fighting through," coach and president Flip Saunders said. "Some guys, especially veterans, might have given up on it, saying 'this is kind of a lost season.' He didn't do that. He kept on shooting, kept on working on his game, and when an opportunity came, he took advantage of it. He's extremely professional."
Maybe a season in which he played sparingly was good for Budinger's left knee. A pair of meniscus surgeries on it cost him 100 games the previous two seasons.
Maybe it motivated the 26-year-old Californian, who worked behind the scenes with shooting coach Mike Penberthy to hone his technique.
In any case, Budinger says, he's feeling better than he has in years. It took the better part of the season to show, but when it did, there was little doubting it.
"The knee doesn't really cross my mind anymore," said Budinger, who last week opted into the third and final year of the free-agent contract he signed in 2013. "It's been feeling great all year. I've had no problems with it at all."
Scoring: B-
Because he spent the bulk of the season on the bench, Budinger's offensive totals aren't all that impressive: 6.8 points per game (0.1 better than his career low, produced last year when he missed half the season), 12.8 per 36 minutes (an outright career worst), 43.3 percent from the floor. His 36.4 percent 3-point shooting clip, though, was promising, especially for a team bereft of much distance punch.
Moreover, Budinger's the kind of player that needs to be on the floor for long stretches to get into a rhythm. From March 15 on -- excluding Game 82 on April 15, when a minor ankle injury kept him out -- he shot 49.7 percent, 41.5 from 3 and averaged 14.4 points per game.
That's exactly what Saunders had in mind when he re-signed Budinger two summers ago.
Rebounding: C
Minnesota's health situation become so dire this past season, Budinger found himself playing some power forward in smaller lineups.
"I can add that to my resume," he cracked.
Budinger's a sturdy 6-foot-7 but plays at right around 200 pounds, so rebounding isn't exactly a huge part of his game. Even when he manned the four spot, it wasn't in 2014-15, either. Budinger averaged three rebounds per game, right on par with his 3.2 career mark.
Defense: C
Budinger's far from a lockdown defender, too. After three seasons in Houston and three more (although abbreviated) Minnesota go-rounds, he has pretty much established his identity -- at best, an off-the-bench volume scorer who can burgeon a second unit.
On the year, he had 1.2 steals and 0.3 blocks per 36 minutes. Opponents shot 47.5 percent when he was guarding them -- four percentage points better than their combined season clip.
But Budinger is a smart player, and that allows him to, at times, play effective team defense. You'll rarely see him caught woefully out of position, and the occasional steal can lead to a fast break. If he wants to continue rebuilding his NBA reputation, improved isolated defending will help his cause.
Overall: C+
We'll give Budinger a slightly-above-average evaluation simply because that, at best, is who he is. And when he had substantial, sustained playing time, Budinger was at his best.
Still, it was a no-brainer for him to exercise his $5 million player option for 2015-16, rather than hit this year's free agent market with little value attached to his name. This next season affords him a chance to increase it.
If he can, Minnesota might want to keep him. Or it could send Budinger -- the subject of frequent trade rumors the last couple years -- to a more playoff-ready team. If he plays out the season, hitting free agency the same summer the NBA's new TV deal kicks in could make him a pretty rich man relative to his niche NBA skill set.
Especially if he uses it to the effect he did down the stretch this year.
Next: Shabazz Muhammad
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