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Raptors

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell tries to keep his cool with the officials.
In a tie game against Chicago, Mitchell protested a non-call with an especially vocal and demonstrative outburst in the third quarter. He got a technical foul and the switch was flipped.
&ldquo;I was hot," Mitchell said about his anger.
Mitchell went on to score a Utah-record 25 of his 37 points in the third quarter, Jordan Clarkson added 26 and the Utah Jazz beat the Bulls 125-110 on Wednesday night.
Feeling nostalgic before the game, Mitchell was watching Game 6 of his first playoff series against Oklahoma City his rookie season. He remembered that level of confidence and how big the hoop seemed when he led the Jazz to the win. Then he replicated it against Chicago.
&ldquo;Once I saw the 3 on the wide pin go down, it was on,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;From there, I just started getting to my spots and do what I do. Sometimes you just gotta go to that place inside you.&rdquo;
Mitchell made a franchise-record seven 3-pointers in the third period on nine attempts. He broke Karl Malone&rsquo;s team mark of 22 points in a third quarter. Mitchell finished with nine 3-pointers, besting his previous career best of seven.
&ldquo;He just got really hot. That&rsquo;s the type of player he is. We know that. We could have tried to do a better job of trying to take him out of that (rhythm) and get the ball out of his hands,&rdquo; Zach LaVine said.
In the fourth quarter, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said &ldquo;we did trap him some to try to slow him down&rdquo; but that just opened the door for other players like the seldom-used Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Alexander-Walker, who came to Utah in a Feb. 9 trade from New Orleans, had only nine total points in his first seven games with the Jazz. So what happened?
&ldquo;Don happened! The gravity he pulled to himself because of the shots he was making &hellip; they were so hyper-focused on him,&rdquo; Alexander-Walker said.
LaVine, who has been affected by a sore left knee, made five 3s and had 33 points in tying his highest scoring output in four months. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points. The Bulls have dropped seven of nine.
&ldquo;We had a really hard time controlling the ball. Our guards could not get the ball under control at all from Clarkson and Mitchell and Conley. They kind of really had their way with (us) and they&rsquo;re great off the dribble,&rdquo; Donovan said on the Bulls&rsquo; second-half defensive struggles.
Ayo Dosunmu&rsquo;s layup trimmed Utah&rsquo;s lead to 103-99 before the Jazz responded with a clinching run.
Alexander-Walker had two 3-pointers from the corner in a 14-0 run that featured suffocating defense and floor-spacing offense. Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s free throws capped the run and lifted the Jazz to a 117-99 lead with 4:38 to play.
&ldquo;We raised our level and did a great job defensively, especially with the scorers they have,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Mitchell&rsquo;s huge third quarter pushed the Jazz ahead 89-81 entering the fourth quarter.
Gobert had 14 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks while Mike Conley had in 14 points and seven assists.
The Jazz played without second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf strain), along with key reserves Trent Forrest (right wrist sprain), Danuel House (left knee bone bruise) and Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain).
BREAKFAST CLUB
Alexander-Walker, Juancho Hernangomez (who got his first start with Utah) and other Jazz players who rarely get meaningful time in the games are the first ones to practice on game days.
&ldquo;I was really happy for Nickeil because people don&rsquo;t see that every morning before shootaround those guys are in there at 8 o&rsquo;clock working out and going hard too,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
Sometimes they get on the court again after the starters leave and then come early before the game starts. That makes three sessions whether they get game time or not.
&ldquo;Since being here, I can&rsquo;t even count the number of corner 3s and other stuff we have been working on in practice,&rdquo; Alexander-Walker said. &ldquo;That work with the Breakfast Club is paying off. Gotta trust it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bulls: Chicago had 22 fast-break points to seven for the Jazz. &hellip; DeRozan had seven of the Bulls&rsquo; 28 assists. &hellip; Dosunmu had 15 points and six assists.
Jazz: Mitchell picked up a technical in the third quarter. He was especially animated at a non-call and followed the official while shouting. &hellip; The Jazz reserves outscored their Chicago counterparts, 49-22.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Phoenix on Friday night.
Jazz: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored a Utah-record 25 of his 37 points in the third quarter as the Utah Jazz beat the Bulls 125-110.

Mitchell scores 25 of 37 points in 3rd, Jazz beat Bulls

Nekias Duncan thoroughly grades every NBA trade from 2022 Deadline Week.

Grading every move from 2022 NBA trade deadline week

The Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs are the latest teams in the Western Conference to make deals ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline. On Wednesday, a three-team transaction saw a lot of moving parts be shuffled around, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491489079451652100?s=20&amp;t=ob8kvMxJoZSwMngQCMHDPQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker heads to Utah from Portland in exchange for Joe Ingles' expiring contract. San Antonio also received Tomas Satoransky's expiring to make salaries work as Juancho Hernangomez joins Alexander-Walker with the Jazz. Portland continues to open up oodles of cap space for the upcoming summer, or a potential big-time trade within the next 24 hours.
This is an intriguing roll of the dice for Utah, especially with how Alexander-Walker fits within their backcourt depth. NAW could be a reliable bench piece, but how does he mesh alongside Jordan Clarkson? Meanwhile, San Antonio clears some future salary moving off Hernangomez for Satoransky.
What comes next for the Trail Blazers is the most interesting aspect to all of this. Will they make another aggressive move to appease superstar point guard Damian Lillard? Would Jerami Grant check boxes alongside Lillard?
Stay tuned to BasketballNews.com as the deadline dominoes continue to fall as they may.

On Wednesday, a three-team deal between the Pelicans, Spurs and Jazz occurred. Which pieces are moving where?

Nickeil Alexander-Walker on move again in 3-team deal

With 16 days until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics &ldquo;have been extremely active in trade talks,&rdquo; league sources <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Heavy.com&rsquo;s Steve Bulpett.&nbsp;
At 24-24, the Celtics are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston currently has the NBA's fifth-best defense (allowing 105.1 points per 100 possessions) and 17th-ranked offense (scoring 107.4 points per 100 possessions).
Bulpett <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Celtics are &ldquo;looking to reconfigure the pieces around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.&rdquo; Boston also wants to &ldquo;clear a path for Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford to get more playing time&rdquo; as well as &ldquo;unload some salary cap burden,&rdquo; per Bulpett.&nbsp;
Last week, the Celtics traded Juancho Hernangomez&rsquo;s $6,907,815 contract in a three-time deal with the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets, bringing in Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be interesting to see if something like [their 116-87 win over Washington] yesterday makes them back off a little or makes them patient,&rdquo; one rival GM <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Bulpett</a>. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;ve definitely been looking to get something done.&rdquo;
It'll be interesting to see who the Celtics target (and who they're willing to part with) over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

With 16 days until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics “have been extremely active in trade talks,” according to Steve Bulpett. 

Celtics have been 'extremely active in trade talks' ahead of deadline

At 27 years old and in his sixth season as a pro, Willy Hernangomez is still searching for a solidified situation in the NBA.&nbsp;
Generally, a consistent role and consistent playing time will lead to consistent production. In his second season with the New Orleans Pelicans, he hasn&rsquo;t often had the opportunity to show what he&rsquo;s capable of, registering eight straight DNPs &mdash; and it&rsquo;s not the first time.
&ldquo;Many times it's hard, it can be frustrating, but for me being able to train every day, even on game days is my way of always being prepared and always wanting to improve,&rdquo; Hernangomez told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;When you really love what you do, you always find a small way to forget your frustrations and focus on the ultimate goal.
&ldquo;I see it as an extra way of motivation for me, knowing that in small minutes you have to give your best so that the team notices your presence and thus make the most of every minute. My mentality every game is to always be prepared, because for me, every game is an opportunity to show my team, the league and myself that I can be a great player here.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
When Hernangomez has gotten the chance to be NOLA&rsquo;s man in the middle, he has exhibited positive results. According to Basketball-Reference, he is sporting the best PER of his career thus far (23.1), and it&rsquo;s the best on his Pelicans team.&nbsp;
In the five games he&rsquo;s received between 20-29 minutes, Hernangomez is averaging 14.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. If you want to take it further into a career sample size, the Spanish big man has put up 12.5 points and 10.3 rebounds across the 78 total games in which he&rsquo;s played 20 or more minutes. And since he&rsquo;s entered the league, Hernangomez has put together 35 career double-doubles to boot.
&ldquo;The way I understand the game, the experience, and the energy with which I always try to play I think it helps me to be very effective in the minutes I am on the court,&rdquo; Hernangomez said.
And yet, despite that resume, he&rsquo;s had a whopping 86 games where he&rsquo;s played fewer than nine minutes, and those are predominantly scenarios where he hasn&rsquo;t been in teams&rsquo; rotations.&nbsp;
But Hernangomez doesn&rsquo;t wait for the game to come to him when he does hit the floor; he&rsquo;s instant offense and a boardmonger. Positioning is a specialty of his, establishing a low-post presence after setting middle-of-the-floor screens off the ball and sealing to open lanes. He sets quality picks for his teammates on the ball at the elbows as well, and times his roles impeccably, receiving the ball back for slams and easy-glass lay-ins &mdash; or one more feed to a teammate with a better look.
&ldquo;It is one of the favorite actions for me, I feel very comfortable playing pick-and-roll,&rdquo; Hernangomez said. &ldquo;For me, putting a good screen [on], a strong screen is something very important, so that your teammate and your team can have an advantage, or so that you yourself can be free in the roll or in the pop.
&ldquo;I always try to think about the next action before it happens, I try to read the defenders, where they are positioned and make the best possible decision, whether it's shooting, or giving an extra pass to a released teammate.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Great sequence from Willy Hernangomez. He forces Giannis into a stepback and then runs in transition and gets an early seal on Holiday which opens up the lane for Garrett Temple. If Zion was playing this Pelicans team is in a way better place. <a href="https://t.co/ukEhFzg6Ze">pic.twitter.com/ukEhFzg6Ze</a>
&mdash; Matthew Ho (@matthewkjho) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewkjho/status/1477445311282827266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

In addition, Hernangomez tracks down misses on both ends with proficiency. His rebounding rate of 22.1% is <a href="https://go.nba.com/7z907" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tied with Atlanta&rsquo;s Clint Capela for third in the entire league</a> (min. 10 minutes). Only Andre Drummond and Rudy Gobert top that high of a percentage.
Considering the NBA evolving into positionless basketball with floor-spacing becoming a priority in modern offenses, Hernangomez does relay that he&rsquo;s put a large focus on bettering his outside shot and versatility in general, mentioning his handle in particular.&nbsp;
Lest we forget that the 6-foot-11 center is just now entering his prime years with less tread on the tires than most players at his age and with his experience. There&rsquo;s plenty of road ahead for Hernangomez, who wants to achieve a lot by the time he hangs it up.
&ldquo;I still think I have a lot of things to improve, and that my best version as a player is yet to come,&rdquo; Hernangomez said. &ldquo;I am a very competitive person and I like to win. I want to compete and win a ring, to be able to play and get to the top of the playoffs for my team.&rdquo;
It has been anything but easy for Hernangomez to this point in his NBA life. You could argue that his little brother Juancho has shared the same sentiments and similar experiences in the league. When you&rsquo;ve shared the successes and spotlight that both have as a part of Spain&rsquo;s national team, there&rsquo;s a hunger that stems from it. While neither has been able to satisfy such an appetite in the Association, each has been able to lean on the other.
&ldquo;Having a brother who is also your best friend in the league is something incredible,&rdquo; Willy said. &ldquo;We came to the NBA in the same year and we have been through everything together, very good moments and others not so much; he is a great support [system], a great psychologist too, and I think we can continue to give many joys and medals to our team in the future.&rdquo;
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Willy Hernangomez has learned quite a bit over his stay in the league. One lesson sticks out specifically though: Enjoy the day-to-day.
&ldquo;The NBA is something unique, many kids and players dream of being here, it is my sixth year and I still have the same [vision] as in my rookie year. I love the NBA, and I feel that the best Willy is yet to come.&rdquo;
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Spencer Davies goes one-on-one with Pelicans big man Willy Hernangomez to address his fluctuating role, career and more.

Willy Hernangomez: 'My best version as a player is yet to come'

BOSTON (AP) — LaMelo Ball had a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 111-102 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 28 points against his former team. Miles Bridges scored 22 and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 for the Hornets, who won for the ninth time in 12 games. 
“To come in here and get a win — we want to make a statement,” Rozier said. “We want to get to where they're at as an organization.”
Dennis Schröder paced Boston with 24 points. Jaylen Brown scored 21 and Al Horford had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“I thought we had a lot of good looks and we moved the ball really well,” Brown said. “They made a lot of tough baskets. They came and outplayed us.”
Boston star Jayson Tatum was hampered by foul trouble and finished with just 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting in 35 minutes. The Celtics had won five of six.
“I thought part of the foul trouble affected him overall as well as some other guys,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “That was my message to the team: Impact the game when the shot's not falling.”
The Celtics were just 14 of 46 on 3-point attempts.
Boston sliced a 12-point deficit to 88-84 early in the final quarter but Charlotte scored 10 of the next 14 points, pulling ahead 98-88 on Oubre’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 4:55 to play. Ball had nailed a 3 from the left corner two minutes earlier.
“The competitiveness and resiliency was there in the fourth quarter,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. 
The Celtics cut it to 102-96 on Horford’s 3 with 2:48 left, but Ball nailed a 3 from in front of Boston’s bench and Rozier followed with one on the Hornets’ next possession.
Boston trimmed the margin to six one more time, but Rozier nailed another 3 to seal it in the final minute. 
Ball grabbed a rebound with 0.2 seconds remaining to complete his triple-double. He said Bridges reminded him how close he was.
“He was like: ‘Box out and you'll get that last rebound,’'' Ball said, pointing to Bridges sitting next to him at the postgame news conference. ”I said, ‘Oh, you’re right!'''
Rozier hit three from beyond the arc in a 62-second span of the third quarter, pushing the Hornets’ lead to 75-61. They were up 86-74 entering the fourth.
“To be the best, you've got to beat the best,” Rozier said. “We just want to keep going. We're not satisfied. We've got to stay humble and keep on having fun and playing out there. That's the main thing.”
TIP-INS
Hornets: Oubre returned from COVID-19 protocol after missing four games and had 10 points by early in the second quarter. … Gordon Hayward took just one shot in the first half and finished with five points. 
Celtics: C Robert Williams missed the game due to the birth of his son, named Hendrix. … G Marcus Smart missed his fifth straight game. He was out of virus protocol but sidelined for conditioning. ... G Aaron Nesmith has a sprained right ankle and also was sidelined. … Tatum picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and stood on the court near Boston’s bench, so the Celtics got a delay-of-game warning. He was whistled for his fifth early in the final quarter.
OH, NO
Mason Plumlee shot a free throw that appeared to miss the rim short by a few feet, bringing a loud reaction from the crowd.
TAKE A SEAT
Ball fell backward into the front row of seats after taking a 3 early in the third quarter, spilling drinks on a pair of fans.
EASY TO SEE
Ball wore bright mismatched sneakers; the left was lime green and the other bright pink.
NEW FACES
The Celtics acquired a pair of injured players from the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team deal that included San Antonio. Boston received 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, who is expected to have foot surgery and be sidelined for 8 to 12 weeks, and guard P.J. Dozier, who is out indefinitely after tearing his ACL this season.
Boston sent forward Juancho Hernangomez to the Spurs in a trade that helps the Celtics get under the luxury tax. 
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. 
Celtics: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. 
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LaMelo Ball recorded a triple-double, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Boston Celtics.

Ball's triple-double carries Hornets past Celtics, 111-102

Denver, Boston and San Antonio are making a three-way trade that includes Juancho Hernangomez to Spurs, Bryn Forbes to Denver, Bol Bol and PJ Dozier to Celtics, sources tell ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1483656286751248386" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Neither player will make an on-court impact for Boston in the short-term. Bol is out 2-3 months with a foot injury, per Wojnarowski, and Dozier is out for the season with a torn ACL.&nbsp;
The Nuggets pickup a veteran sharpshooter in Forbes who can boost the bench rotation. San Antonio adds a stretch forward in Hernangomez, who was unable to break the Celtics' rotation.&nbsp;

Neither player will make an on-court impact for Boston in the short-term due to injuries.

Celtics acquire Bol Bol, PJ Dozier in 3-team trade with Nuggets, Spurs

BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 17 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three jumpers in the final minutes and three free throws in the last four seconds to ice it as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 108-103 on Monday night.
With both teams fighting COVID-19 outbreaks, Embiid also had 10 rebounds and a steal on the Celtics’ last-chance inbound pass while playing 40 minutes, 14 seconds — a season high for a game that didn’t go to overtime.
Seth Curry scored 26 points and Tobias Harris had 25 for Philadelphia.
Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Jayson Tatum had 17 and Enes Kanter Freedom had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who had seven players in COVID-19 protocol, with Robert Williams III a late scratch for personal reasons.
After trailing the entire first half, the Celtics took an 80-75 lead into the fourth quarter and went ahead 97-90 on Brown's 3-pointer with 4:14 left. Matisse Thybulle hit a 3-pointer and then Embiid made a pair of foul shots. 
Boston led 98-96 when Danny Green made a 3-pointer, and then Embiid made three straight mid-range jumpers to hold the Celtics at bay. 
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
The game was delayed for seven minutes after the national anthem and before the introduction of the Celtics players when a fire alarm went off in the building, accompanied by an announcement telling the crowd it may need to evacuate. After a few minutes of people nervously looking around, the Celtics mascot began waving his arms to pump up the fans; the pregame festivities resumed soon after.
A TD Garden spokesman said the problem was a malfunctioning sprinkler head in a concession area in the balcony level and set off a fire alarm. Building operations coordinated with the Boston Fire Department before giving the all-clear.
IN AND OUT
The Celtics’ pregame injury list required a three-tweet thread to list everyone, with Al Horford, Jabari Parker, Josh Richardson, Brodric Thomas, Grant Williams, Juancho Hernangomez and Sam Hauser all in the COVID-19 protocol. Robert Williams III was also listed as out for personal reasons. 
Tatum (ankle), Romeo Langford (neck) and Dennis Schroder (non-COVID illness) were questionable but cleared to play. To fill out the roster, the Celtics signed 15-year NBA veteran C.J. Miles, who hadn’t appeared in a game in more than two years, to a 10-day contract.
The Sixers were without Andre Drummond, Shake Milton and Georges Niang because of COVID protocols, along with Tyrese Maxey (thigh bruise), Furkan Korkmaz (non-COVID illness), Jaden Springer (concussion protocol) and Ben Simmons, who hasn’t played all year while awaiting a possible trade. 
THROWBACK
The Celtics celebrated ’60’s night, looking back on the decade when they won 9 NBA titles — going through the Philadelphia Warriors twice and the 76ers four times. (The Sixers were the only team to beat them, in the 1967 Eastern Division finals. 
Satch Sanders, Mal Graham and Rick Weitzman were honored on the court, and ’60’s music was played throughout the night. 
UP NEXT 
Sixers: Host Atlanta on Thursday. 
Celtics: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Joel Embiid scored 41 points, and the 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 108-103.

Embiid scores 41, 76ers beat Celtics 108-103

The NBA announced in early August that the 2021-22 season&rsquo;s salary cap would be $112.414 million, and the luxury tax threshold will be $136.606 million. That means that if rosters remain unchanged for the duration of the season &ndash; which we know will never happen &ndash; 13 teams will pay the luxury tax.
Those teams will be the Brooklyn Nets ($176.573 million in payroll), Golden State Warriors ($174.854 million), Los Angeles Clippers ($166.384 million), Los Angeles Lakers ($163.121 million), Milwaukee Bucks ($158.206 million), Utah Jazz ($153.954 million), Philadelphia 76ers ($143.668 million), Boston Celtics ($143.524 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($140.566 million), Miami Heat ($139.645 million), Washington Wizards ($138.710 million), Toronto Raptors ($137.624 million) and the Indiana Pacers ($137.567 million), <a href="https://hoopshype.com/salaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to HoopsHype.com</a> &nbsp;&ndash; meaning that nearly half of the league will pay into the luxury tax.&nbsp;
The NBA utilizes a progressive tax system that dictates that teams less than $10 million over the threshold pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, teams over by between $10-to-$15 million pay $2.50 for every dollar over the threshold, teams over by between $15-to-$20 million pay $3.25 for every dollar over the threshold and so on. But ignoring the business implications of paying the luxury tax, how many of these teams are getting the bang for their buck in relation to the total cost of those payrolls and how easy might it be for them to get back under it? Let&rsquo;s explore each team's situation:
Brooklyn Nets: $39.967 million over 
The Nets enter the 2021-22 season as the presumptive favorites to win the NBA championship. They re-signed Kevin Durant to a 4-year/$198 million extension. They also added Patty Mills and James Johnson, but lost Jeff Green. Ultimately, it&rsquo;s worth the price for Brooklyn so long as Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden can remain healthy for playoffs &ndash; so if you&rsquo;re the Nets, you pay anything you can to keep this group together. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-trading-deandre-jordan-to-pistons-for-sekou-doumbouya-jahlil-okafor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Worth it!
Golden State Warriors: $38.239 million over
The Warriors are in a very different situation than the Nets. They are not presumptive favorites. In fact, they may be in a fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference for another year. Still, the Warriors have to shell out the dough. Their new arena, the Chase Center, opened in downtown San Francisco just in time for the 2019-20 season. COVID-19 has obviously hindered the Warriors ability to extract income from their new home, but it&rsquo;s finally time to cash in. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will fill the arena&rsquo;s seats. They probably won&rsquo;t be pure buyers at the deadline &ndash; although we could see a move in which Golden State swaps some of its young talent in exchange for a more age-appropriate fit &ndash; but the Warriors will not ship out pieces just to cut costs.
Takeaway: Not objectively worth it; but not *not* worth it.
Los Angeles Clippers: $29.778 million over
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is probably a little stressed right now &ndash; or he would be if paying his team&rsquo;s payroll had any real impact on his net worth. Either way, the Clippers appear poised to write a big check to the NBA for... another championship-less season. With Kawhi Leonard out for the foreseeable future with a partially torn ACL, the team's hopes for a title are likely out too &ndash; and they&rsquo;re on the hook for his $36 million this season, which is essentially dead money. Fortunately, the Clippers' roster is still formidable. They&rsquo;ll still be a playoff team, even in the brutally competitive West, meaning they&rsquo;ll continue to be must-see TV. They can get back to contending for a championship next season.
Takeaway: Not worth it this year; but tough it out, next season will be better.&nbsp;
Los Angeles Lakers: $26.515 million over
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_10629395_lg.png" alt="" width="572" height="286" />
The Lakers are in a good spot... for now. Sure, they are on the hook for a big, honking tax check; but they also look like the best team in the West. Acquiring Russell Westbrook (in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell) adds another major salary to the Lakers&rsquo; books. But Westbrook, along with Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, are big-time additions. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook might not coexist perfectly, which could result in as disappointing an outcome as the 2003-04 Lakers, but what options did they have? The Nets are stacked, and the Lakers want to win.
Takeaway: Worth it, but it could also end really badly.&nbsp;
Milwaukee Bucks: $21.6 million over
The Bucks are obviously happy with the outcome of last season. And despite what Jerry Krause would&rsquo;ve had you believe, you always bring back a defending-champion roster; Milwaukee did mostly that. The team brought George Hill back on board and added Grayson Allen. They interestingly let P.J. Tucker walk, but they&rsquo;re still well-stocked. The Bucks could be buyers at the deadline; but they&rsquo;ll be operating under a hard cap, so it&rsquo;ll be tricky.
Takeaway: The champs should always be kept together. Worth it!
Utah Jazz: $17.348 million over
The Jazz are unassuming, but their roster is rock solid, and they finished last season with the best record in the NBA. Had it not been for injuries to Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell heading into the playoffs, who knows what might have been in a year where the presumptive favorites were both eliminated before the conference finals. But the Jazz enter the 2021-22 season looking even better, having added Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside, and re-signing Mike Conley. Utah let Derrick Favors and Georges Niang walk, but still enter the season with approximately $154 million in salary. Utah will likely stand pat for the season in hopes of making a run at a championship.
Takeaway: Worth it!&nbsp;
Philadelphia 76ers: $7.062 million over
The 76ers are in an unenviable situation with Ben Simmons, who has decided that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-tells-sixers-he-wants-out-intends-to-skip-training-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he wants out of Philadelphia</a>. Simmons will make $33 million in 2021-22, and his deal is guaranteed through the 2024-25 season. So, it&rsquo;s safe to assume there will be some changes regarding the Sixers' team salary. The two teams most <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commonly associated with Simmons</a> &ndash; the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings &ndash; have payrolls below the luxury tax threshold, meaning they both have more wiggle room to maneuver in trades. Philadelphia could end up with a slightly lower payroll than it has now after a Simmons deal inevitably takes place, but the team's outlook is very much undecided less than a month from the start of the season. That&rsquo;s not where you want to be as a team with championship aspirations.
Takeaway: Depends on what happens with Simmons, but it&rsquo;s probably not going to be worth it. &nbsp;
Boston Celtics: $6.918 million over 
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15355620_lg.png" alt="" width="570" height="285" />
From a salary standpoint, Boston and new team president Brad Stevens have maneuvered smartly. They shed Kemba Walker&rsquo;s painful contract, receiving Al Horford in the exchange. They backfilled Walker&rsquo;s spot with Dennis Schroder, who only cost $5.9 million for a year. They also added Josh Richardson ($11.615 million) via free agency and a $17 million trade exception from a sign-and-trade with the Knicks for Evan Fournier. If the right player becomes available, they could use that TPE, or they could punt on 2021-22 in hopes of a brighter future. Still, the Celtics will only go as far as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take them. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-agrees-to-trade-hernangomez-to-bos-for-dunn-edwards-pick-swap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Juancho Hernangomez</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Not worth it, but Boston made some headway in cleaning up a previously cluttered salary cap.
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.96 million over
Portland finally did something this offseason, swapping out Derrick Jones Jr. for Larry Nance Jr in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance will be a good fit for the Trail Blazers, but they didn&rsquo;t add nearly enough to improve to the extent that they&rsquo;ll compete in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
Takeaway: Not worth it. Portland should get very creative, and fast &ndash; or risk losing Lillard.
Miami Heat: $3.039 million over
It seems like Miami is perpetually either in contention or one piece away from it. After a surprise trip to the NBA Finals in 2019-20, the Heat very well may have added that piece in Kyle Lowry. They also stole PJ Tucker away from Milwaukee, and kept their core intact. The Heat&rsquo;s cap situation gets very tricky in a few years, and it&rsquo;ll get even tricker if they sign Tyler Herro to a long-term extension; but for now, you can&rsquo;t blame Miami for going for it.
Takeaway: Worth it, for now.&nbsp;
Washington Wizards: $2.104 million over 
The Wizards had themselves a good offseason. They turned Russell Westbrook into Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Montrezl Harrell, and they added Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday. Still, the Wizards are going to have to play incredibly well just to qualify for the playoffs, and that&rsquo;s not what teams paying the luxury tax hope to accomplish.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but at least they&rsquo;ll be competitive.
Toronto Raptors: $1.018 million over
The Raptors are entering a mini-rebuild. With Kyle Lowry moving on, the Raptors will look to build around Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. They&rsquo;ll probably look to move Goran Dragic, who publicly voiced displeasure with landing in Toronto, so they&rsquo;ll likely end the year with a slightly different look.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but they could be interesting.&nbsp;
Indiana Pacers: $961,000 over
Indiana didn&rsquo;t make any major changes, and is stuck in quasi-purgatory as the Pacers gauge what their team can do. Ultimately, they will probably let results dictate their course of action. If they&rsquo;re in the playoff picture as we approach the trade deadline, they could be buyers. Conversely, if Indiana struggles, it could just as easily sell some assets.
Takeaway: Well-positioned to move under the tax threshold.&nbsp;
The luxury tax can be incredibly punitive; and, unfortunately, it impacts how teams make roster decisions. Looking beyond profitability, owners are right to demand a good return-on-investment when paying the luxury tax. No one wants to cut a big check for nothing. Be on the lookout for teams that aren&rsquo;t competitive to look to shed salary before the deadline. Conversely, teams in contention will look to add talent regardless of where they are pertaining to the luxury tax.&nbsp;

Drew Maresca examines the 13 teams in the NBA paying the luxury tax and whether their respective rosters justify the spending.

How projected NBA luxury tax-payer teams look in 2021-22

Memphis has agreed to trade forward Juancho Hernangomez to Boston for guards Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards and a 2026 second-round pick swap, sources tell ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1433820922184704000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Celtics pick up a solid floor-spacing forward in Hernangomez, who the Grizzlies acquired in an earlier trade from Minnesota. The 25-year-old has made 35.1% of his career three-pointers. In return, Memphis nets a defense-savvy point guard in Dunn and a score-first spark plug in Edwards. This trade cannot be officially completed until September 15, per Wojnarowski.

The Celtics pick up a solid floor-spacing forward in Hernangomez, who the Grizzlies acquired in an earlier trade from Minnesota.

Memphis trades Hernangomez to Boston for Dunn, Edwards, pick swap

The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Patrick Beverley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez, sources tell ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1427646798089359361" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Beverley was traded to Memphis from the Clippers a few days ago, and now he's headed to Minnesota to provide a much-needed defensive boost in the backcourt. The Wolves had a hole at backup point guard after trading Ricky Rubio to Cleveland.
In return, the Grizzlies get a sharpshoting forward in Hernangomez. They also look to revitalize Jarrett Culver, who still has room to grow as a 22-year-old sixth overall pick from the 2019 NBA Draft.

Beverley was traded to Memphis from the Clippers a few days ago, and now he's headed to Minnesota.

MEM trades Patrick Beverley to MIN for Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez

NBA free-agency activity fizzled out after many teams spent all of their available cap space. However, there's one situation that may not be resolved anytime soon: Lauri Markkanen and the Chicago Bulls are in a stalemate over his impending future.
Markkanen&rsquo;s restricted free agency has been a nightmare for the seven-foot Finnish big. Many teams pivoted to other options once Markkanen overvalued his worth on the open market. The fact that the Bulls could match any offer sheet for the 24-year-old likely scared some teams away too.
The Charlotte Hornets were very interested in Markkanen, reportedly preparing an offer sheet for the Bulls&rsquo; power forward. At the last minute, Charlotte went in a different direction and signed Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year deal. The San Antonio Spurs also poked around and inquired about Markkanen, but decided against bringing him onboard in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade with Chicago.
During the 2017-18 season, Markkanen flashed as one of the best rookies in the 2017 NBA Draft class. Averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game, while shooting 36.2% on three-pointers, Markkanen looked the part of an eventual long-term building block for the Bulls. However, over the last three years, the former No. 7 overall pick hasn't shown much else.
His averages over the last three seasons have been nearly identical to his rookie year: 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 36.9% from three in 29.3 minutes. Although the former Arizona Wildcat finally improved his three-point efficiency in 2020-21 (shooting 40.3% from deep), he's become stagnant everywhere else. Is Markkanen worth over $15 million per year as a floor-spacing stretch big who is a subpar rebounder and even worse defender? The quick answer is no, and teams seem to agree judging by how they've approached the early stages of Markkanen's free agency.
Chicago is willing to let Markkanen exit, but they&rsquo;re playing hardball. The Bulls want a future first-round pick while also not taking salary back in a potential sign-and-trade scenario. This not only limits the pool of teams, but it also requires the franchise that wants Markkanen to give up additional draft capital they may not want to relinquish.
At this moment, a return for Markkanen to the Windy City for his fifth season is certainly on the table. Markkanen&rsquo;s qualifying offer is $9 million, so this could be a scenario where he signs the dotted line, then becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
However, if Markkanen eventually gets his wish with a fresh start elsewhere, which teams make the most sense for him? Let&rsquo;s explore several possible landing spots.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
If a team wants to get involved in a sign-and-trade for Markkanen, they need to have one of these two things: a traded player exception (TPE) or salary-cap space. At this point, there are very few teams with enough wiggle room to give Markkanen an annual salary above $10 million, so the TPE could be the best bet to make a move occur.
Dallas certainly fits the billing, as they own a $10.9 million TPE. Does Markkanen want to sign a three-year deal that pays just $1.9 million more than his qualifying offer? Unless he's dead set on never returning to Chicago, it&rsquo;s not the best financial move for Markkanen.
If the Mavericks want to acquire Markkanen while saving their TPE, they would need to offload Dwight Powell&rsquo;s $11 million salary for 2021-22 plus another piece. For example, to meet the Bulls&rsquo; own demands, Dallas sends Chicago a heavily protected future first-round pick, while a team willing to absorb big salary (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) takes on Powell, plus whatever else, while also receiving their own draft compensation for the courtesy.
In terms of fits for Markkanen, Dallas certainly stands out as the best one remaining. With the potential to start alongside Kristaps Porzingis at power forward, Markkanen would play a low-usage role as a floor-spacing big who can open up the floor even further for Luka Doncic. The defensive fit between Markkanen and Porzingis is potentially horrific, but the offense could be bolstered even further with the Finnish product&rsquo;s arrival.
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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
New Orleans currently possesses the largest traded player exception in the NBA after offloading Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe in a draft-day trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, and they can use their $17.1 million TPE to absorb Markkanen for a price that works for both sides.
The Pelicans need to keep adding perimeter shooters alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Right now, there&rsquo;s not enough. Although they acquired Devonte&rsquo; Graham via sign-and-trade, plus drafted sharpshooting wing Trey Murphy III at No. 17 overall, they need to keep adding more to their arsenal. Markkanen would certainly provide fit in that role, coming off the bench in the Bayou for around 25 minutes per game.
Jonas Valanciunas will be the starter alongside Williamson in the Pelicans&rsquo; frontcourt, but Markkanen could be primed to slot in as an eventual starter down the road. The fit between Williamson and Markkanen is actually really solid, especially if the Pelicans&rsquo; former No. 1 overall pick is able to emerge as a rim protector like he showed in college.
BOSTON CELTICS
Markkanen in Boston would certainly be an intriguing scenario. Operating as a floor-spacing reserve big, Markkanen would provide another scoring punch to a retooling Celtics roster that's banking on further internal development from their fortified young core.
Boston only has a $9.7 million TPE at their disposal, which means they would need to get creative to fit Markkanen on their books. Josh Richardson, who was recently acquired from Dallas, best fits the salary-matching requirement to make a complicated Markkanen sign-and-trade work. Richardson is eligible to be traded again on August 19.
Adding Richardson&rsquo;s $11.6 million alongside another piece on their roster, for example Grant Williams at $2.6 million, gives Markkanen close to his desired annual value. Dumping Richardson and Williams onto a team like Oklahoma City makes this three-team scenario work for all sides. (However, it remains to be seen if Boston would be willing to part with Richardson and Williams to land Markkanen.)
If Boston decided to pull the trigger, the rotation would look like this after adding Markkanen:
Starters: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams
Second Unit: Dennis Schroder, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, Lauri Markkanen, Enes Kanter
That&rsquo;s a legitimate 10-man rotation, including a nice mix of versatility off the bench for the Celtics. Keep an eye on Boston as a dark-horse destination for an eventual Markkanen sign-and-trade.
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MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
How ironic would it be for Markkanen to end up with the organization that initially drafted him? When Markkanen walked across the stage on draft night, he donned a Timberwolves hat, and then he and Zach LaVine were dealt to the Bulls as part of the Jimmy Butler blockbuster trade. Maybe we'll see a pseudo reunion in the cards soon? Minnesota has reportedly showed interest in the 24-year-old.
Minnesota possesses no TPE, so they would need to offload salary to a third team to meet Chicago&rsquo;s negotiation price. Luckily for the T-Wolves, they have a few different scenarios to make a Markkanen sign-and-trade occur. The first one revolves around Taurean Prince&rsquo;s $13 million expiring, which is eligible to traded again on August 18. Another example features Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez, combining to make $12.4 million next season.
Whichever direction Minnesota decides to go, they can make a Markkanen deal happen (defense be damned). Adding Markkanen alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards would give Minnesota quite possibly the worst quartet ever assembled defensively.
There&rsquo;s a chance Markkanen could start for the Timberwolves or come off the bench behind ascending prospect Jaden McDaniels, who's a better complement alongside Towns in frontcourt combinations. Markkanen would provide a nice scoring boost for Minnesota, likely sliding in as their sixth man of the future.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Mentioned multiple times already in this exercise as a potential dumping ground to make complicated sign-and-trade scenarios work, would the Thunder actually be interested in Markkanen themselves? It&rsquo;s an interesting thought, especially when you realize they can outright sign him without issue or use their $12.8 million TPE in a trade. With 35 draft picks over the next five years, maybe they value Markkanen enough to relinquish one to pair him alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
The Thunder are creating an all-in scenario revolving around high-upside swings in the draft featuring boom-or-bust prospects like Aleksej Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon and Josh Giddey. Bringing at least an established presence on board could provide a win in the short and long-term for Oklahoma City. If Markkanen is able to reach his near-ceiling outcome eventually, Oklahoma City would have a nice scoring combination in their starting lineup.
Does Thunder GM Sam Presti even want to get involved in the Markkanen sweepstakes, though? That&rsquo;s the big question. The more likely scenario involves Presti adding more picks to his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tanking-101-how-the-thunder-built-their-asset-treasure-trove-for-a-hopefully-bright-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ever-growing collection of future draft capital</a> thanks to Markkanen being shipped off elsewhere.

Lauri Markkanen is the biggest name remaining in free agency. Let's examine some possible destinations for the former No. 7 overall pick.

Examining potential free-agency destinations for Lauri Markkanen

Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA&rsquo;s most intriguing teams. They have a solid young nucleus, a new head coach, new ownership, and a tough climb in terms of scaling the ladder in the Western Conference.
With so many teams either in win-now mode, or ascending rapidly thanks to internal development, Minnesota once again could be on the outside looking in for a real playoff opportunity in 2021-22.
In their current state, the T-Wolves have to rely on their 25-and-under trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards. When all of them were on the floor together last season, Minnesota was 13-11.&nbsp;
In a small sample size (324 minutes) featuring Minnesota's trio, their three-man lineup offensive rating was 120.9, which would&rsquo;ve ranked No. 1 for any team last season. However, the defensive rating checked in at 116.0 &mdash; a mark that puts Minnesota last in the Association for team-wide advanced metrics. Although the overall net rating for Minnesota&rsquo;s young Big 3 still checked in at +5.3, they were relying on outscoring the opposition at a pace that seemed unsustainable over a full 82-game schedule.
Toss starting shooting guard Malik Beasley into the mix &mdash; who has canned 40.6% of his three-pointers since arriving in Minnesota two years ago &mdash; and the total sample size for the four-man unit was 13 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 13 minutes. That's all that Towns, Russell, Edwards and Beasley suited up together for during the 2020-21 campaign.
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Minnesota is betting on its young core to take necessary steps forward, but new head coach Chris Finch must also figure out how to utilize his pieces more efficiently. Once Finch replaced Ryan Saunders &mdash; an incredibly tough adjustment coming over from the Toronto Raptors &mdash; Minnesota&rsquo;s offense started to click into high gear. One of the biggest beneficiaries from Finch&rsquo;s arrival was 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards.
Edwards began to turn heads over the final stretch of last season, with many ending the campaign under the belief that he could eventually become a consistent 25-plus point per game scorer. Edwards&rsquo; emergence became one of the few bright spots from another downtrodden season for Minnesota.
Pre-All-Star Break: 14.9 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals; 37.1 FG%, 46.6 TS%
Post-All-Star Break: 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals; 45.4 FG%, 56.7 TS%
After the All-Star break, Edwards placed himself in elite company. Only six other players averaged his stat line and efficiency over that span: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum and Julius Randle. During his rookie season at age 19, Edwards put the NBA world on notice; he&rsquo;s one of the brightest young wing scorers.
With Edwards&rsquo; fast rise, another rookie for Minnesota turned into a legitimate rotation piece: No. 28 overall pick Jaden McDaniels. Although McDaniels&rsquo; numbers weren&rsquo;t gaudy &mdash; 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 24 minutes &mdash; his improvement as a shooter late in the season provides promise for him complementing their core. McDaniels drained 38.3% of his three-pointers after the All-Star break for Minnesota, where he also forced Finch&rsquo;s hand with his plus-defensive versatility. At his peak, McDaniels figures to be a jumbo 3-and-D do-it-all big who doesn&rsquo;t need plays run for him. He's already passed the eye test with flying colors, and now he should slide right in as Minnesota&rsquo;s starting power forward alongside Towns, Russell, Edwards and Beasley.
Minnesota also drafted point-forward Leandro Bolmaro from Argentina in the 2020 draft, who plans to join the roster after being stashed last season overseas. After Ricky Rubio was traded to Cleveland for veteran wing Taurean Prince, Bolmaro figures to play an important role as a playmaker off the bench immediately.
&ldquo;This draft class was a game-changer for this organization,&rdquo; <a href="https://theathletic.com/2738320/2021/08/11/jaden-mcdaniels-is-becoming-the-rare-late-first-round-success-story-for-the-wolves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timberwolves GM Gersson Rosas recently told The Athletic&rsquo;s Jon Krawczynski</a>. &ldquo;When it happens like that, you want to be right more often than you&rsquo;re wrong. And nobody&rsquo;s always right.&rdquo;
With high hopes for the 2020 draft haul helping pull Minnesota into real playoff contention eventually, how does their rotation stack up for 2021-22?
Starters = Russell, Beasley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns
Second Unit = Bolmaro, Josh Okogie, Jarrett Culver, Prince, Juancho Hernangomez, Naz Reid
Although the starting lineup has huge potential &mdash; especially with the projected sophomore leaps for Edwards and McDaniels &mdash; Minnesota&rsquo;s second-unit is shallow on NBA experience and net-positive players. For the Timberwolves to become a real playoff threat, the Towns/Russell/Edwards trio needs to be dominant. And it&rsquo;s fair to wonder if Edwards needs to become his post-All-Star break self every single night for Minnesota to take those necessary steps forward.
Minnesota&rsquo;s core is locked in for the foreseeable future. Towns and Russell are best friends on-and-off the court and have a bond that developed during the 2015 pre-draft process. But is the former No. 2 overall pick the best fit moving forward with Edwards&rsquo; becoming a real 1B option?
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Moving forward, there&rsquo;s no reason for Minnesota to not treat Edwards as their second star behind Towns. He&rsquo;s already proven to have more two-way ability than Russell, who is an above-average three-level scorer. Still, the point guard has been graded across multiple metrics as the worst defender for his position. For a team starved of impact defenders, Russell is the opposite. He brings scoring and some playmaking, but not much else.
For Towns, the clock is already ticking in Minnesota. He&rsquo;s experienced the playoffs one time in his six-year career after being selected No. 1 overall. And that one appearance was due to Jimmy Butler, who is no longer with the franchise. Towns&rsquo; career record is nearly 100 games below .500 at 185-279. Halfway through his rookie-scale max contract extension &mdash; which expires after the 2023-24 season &mdash; the time is now for Minnesota to put the necessary pieces around him before it&rsquo;s too late.
Edwards feels like a lock to be a key cog in the Timberwolves' rise. McDaniels has shown flashes of a competent frontcourt partner alongside Towns. Questions still loom about Russell&rsquo;s overall value in a winning situation, but right now, Minnesota&rsquo;s roster is still on the youthful side of the spectrum.
Banking on the young core is a necessary risk for a small market like Minnesota, but there needs to be some urgency. If all goes well for the Timberwolves this season, these Towns-related concerns will wash away.
In the end, it'll be determined by whether this appealing core centered around he and Edwards stakes their claim as a rising team in the Western Conference.

The 2021-22 season will be an important one for the Timberwolves. Can they defy the odds and make an improbable run to the postseason?

Can the Timberwolves step forward in the loaded Western Conference?

Juancho Hernangomez and the Spanish Basketball Federation are at odds with the&nbsp;Minnesota Timberwolves&nbsp;after the&nbsp;NBA&nbsp;team blocked Hernangomez from playing in the Tokyo Olympics.
Source: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2726973/2021/07/24/sources-juancho-hernangomez-angered-after-wolves-block-him-from-olympics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Krawczynski/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;According to the article, Spanish officials are primarily frustrated at Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, who they claim made the decision to keep the forward out of Spanish national team play.
Hernangomez had suffered a dislocated shoulder earlier this month, but was included on Spain's roster after recovering quicker than anticipated.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Minnesota gives as a reason that their doctors have never given the &lsquo;OK,'&rdquo; Spain Basketball Federation President Jorge Garbajosa said. &ldquo;There were six people from the national team in that meeting who testified that they clearly gave the &lsquo;&rsquo;yes.&rsquo; In the 21st century with six people who speak English perfectly, it&rsquo;s incomprehensible to give that reason.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We support our international players&rsquo; decisions to play with their national teams and appreciate the passion of Juancho and the Spanish Federation to represent their country. Unfortunately, we are dealing with an active injury,&rdquo; Rosas countered in a statement on Saturday. &ldquo;Based on our team physician&rsquo;s recommendation, Juancho needs time to recover from and rehabilitate his injury, and that timeline restricts Juancho&rsquo;s availability to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. The determined recovery plan is the best path forward to allow Juancho to heal properly.&rdquo;

Hernangomez dislocated his shoulder earlier this month, but was initially on Spain's roster.

Juancho Hernangomez frustrated after Wolves hold him out of Olympics

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Spain power forward Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez, who was ruled out of the Tokyo Games earlier this month because of a left shoulder injury, has made the team&rsquo;s Olympic roster after all.
The Spanish federation had said Hernang&oacute;mez, who plays in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves, would need significant time to recover from a dislocated left shoulder. He got hurt in an exhibition game against France on July 8.
But when Spain revealed its Olympic roster Monday, he made the cut &mdash; a clear sign that the national team believes he will be able to play in Tokyo.
Hernang&oacute;mez averaged 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17 minutes per game for Minnesota this season.
The rest of Spain&rsquo;s roster: Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Alberto Abalde, Alex Abrines, Victor Claver, Rudy Fernandez, Usman Garuba, Willy Hernang&oacute;mez, Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez.
Spain is the reigning Basketball World Cup champion and ranked No. 2 in the world behind the U.S. by FIBA. Spain has medaled at each of the last three Olympics &mdash; silvers in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2016 &mdash; and heads to Tokyo seeking its first gold medal.

Minnesota's Juancho Hernangómez has officially made Spain's roster for the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Wolves’ Hernangómez makes Spain’s Olympic roster after all

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ricky Rubio scored 26 points and rookie Anthony Edwards added 25 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 126-114 on Thursday night.
Edwards’ big fourth quarter helped spark the win for Minnesota, which extended its season-long winning streak to four games. The Timberwolves rookie scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth.
Stephen Curry overcame early shooting struggles to finish with 37 points for Golden State. Andrew Wiggins added 27 points against his former team in his first game in Minnesota since he was traded by the Timberwolves last season.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wolves. Towns and Juancho Hernangomez hit consecutive 3-pointers to extend Minnesota’s lead to 10 in the fourth quarter. The Wolves never relinquished the lead.
Curry scored 16 points in the third to give Golden State a two-point lead after three. He capped his big quarter with a four-point play that put the Warriors up 91-89. Curry finished 11-of-27 from the floor and 6-of-17 from 3-point range.
Wiggins gave the Warriors a lift early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and finishing the first half with 18. He was acknowledged on the Target Center video board pregame and received a nice ovation from the fans in attendance.
Golden State tied the game just before the half but a Towns dunk over former teammate Wiggins with 2.4 seconds left sent Minnesota into the locker room with a 60-58 lead.
D’Angelo Russell sparked Minnesota late in the first as the Wolves closed the quarter with a 12-0 run. Russell had five points and four assists in a six-minute stretch off the bench.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Kelly Oubre missed Thursday’s game with a left wrist injury. He reaggravated an injury that caused him to miss five games earlier this year.
Timberwolves: Head coach Chris Finch said Thursday’s there’s a chance Malik Beasley could return for a few games at the end of the season. Beasley is currently sidelined with a left hamstring injury and resumed on-court workouts on Tuesday. ... G Jarrett Culver has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, the team announced Thursday. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery on May 7. Culver averaged 5.3 points in 34 games.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Golden State’s four-game road trip continues with a game Saturday at Houston, followed by a pair of games at New Orleans.
Timberwolves: Minnesota continues its three-game homestand by hosting New Orleans on Saturday. The Timberwolves are 2-0 this year against the Pelicans.

Ricky Rubio scored 26 points and rookie Anthony Edwards added 25 as the Timberwolves beat the Warriors 126-114 on Thursday night.

Rubio, Edwards lead Wolves to 126-114 win over Warriors

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 42 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 41 and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to stun the Phoenix Suns 123-119 on Thursday night.
The Timberwolves still have the worst record in the NBA at 10-31 but have played better since the All-Star break, winning three of five games. Edwards and Towns carried Minnesota in this one, pouring in points from all over the floor.
Edwards, who was the No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia last summer, made 15 of 31 shots. Towns was even more efficient, making 15 of 24 shots, including 5 of 7 3-pointers. Juancho Hernangomez dunked with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
Jevon Carter hit a 3-pointer just before the third quarter buzzer to give the Suns a 91-83 lead. But the T&rsquo;wolves kept the game tight, and Towns tied it at 107 after a 3-pointer with less than five minutes remaining. Towns also added 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting. Phoenix lost for just the fifth time in its last 23 games.
The Suns got off to a slow start, but back-to-back 3s from Dario Saric and Booker tied it at 25 by the end of the first quarter. Phoenix pulled ahead 58-53 by halftime.
Booker had 21 points before the break on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Edwards had 22 points in the first half for the Timberwolves, including a pair of powerful dunks after slicing through the Suns&rsquo; defense.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Edwards and Towns combined to score 41 of the team&rsquo;s 53 points in the first half. ... Hernangomez had 14 points off the bench, and Naz Reid added 10.
Suns: F Cam Johnson missed his fifth straight game in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocol. ... F Torrey Craig was acquired from the Bucks in a trade announced Wednesday. Craig wasn&rsquo;t available for Thursday&rsquo;s game. ... Booker was honored before the game for winning the NBA&rsquo;s Western Conference Player of the Month in February. ... Deandre Ayton fouled out with 1:10 left in the game. He had 14 points and seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Suns and T&rsquo;wolves meet again in Phoenix on Friday night.
___
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Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards scores career-high 42 points as Minnesota stuns Phoenix with 123-119 win.

Anthony Edwards scores career-high 42 points, T-Wolves stun Suns

With 8:30 left in the first quarter of Tuesday&rsquo;s Timberwolves-Lakers game, Karl-Anthony Towns finds himself stationed on the left block.&nbsp;
Jarred Vanderbilt curls off of Towns as he relocates above the break. Ricky Rubio tosses the entry pass, cuts to the basket, then retreats to the right corner. Damian Jones is defending Towns, but the Lakers decide that isn&rsquo;t enough. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rushes Towns, but the Big Fella is able to loft an overhead pass to Rubio in the corner for a triple.
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On its face, that is tremendous offense for the Wolves. They fed their best player, drew two to the ball, and got points out of the possession. Not only was it a three-ball, it was a corner three -- the most fruitful perimeter shot you can muster.
However, I&rsquo;d argue that this is a subtle example of why the Lakers have been the NBA&rsquo;s best defense all year long, and have remained an elite unit even with Anthony Davis sidelined.
Dig a little deeper into the possession and you&rsquo;ll be wowed by the level of detail, the communication, and the calculated gamble the Lakers take here.&nbsp;
Watch Dennis Schroder, an All-Defensive-Team candidate this season, as he follows Rubio on the cut. He keeps an arm high to take away a potential pass; with that arm as a security blanket, he&rsquo;s able to keep his eyes on Rubio and the action on the weak side.&nbsp;
As Caldwell-Pope shoots down to double Towns, Vanderbilt smartly cuts into open space. With Schroder facing the action, he&rsquo;s able to call out Anthony Edwards filling Vanderbilt&rsquo;s space above the break. Markieff Morris picks up Edwards, while Schroder cuts off the movement from Vanderbilt.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gghtt_lg.png" alt="" width="616" height="AUTO" />
Schroder holds firm in the paint with Vanderbilt, while LeBron James is now tasked with &ldquo;splitting the difference&rdquo; -- playing between two players -- on the backside. Normally, a player would sit directly between the two players spotting up, reading the eyes of the ball-handler before committing to a rotation. Instead, LeBron just flat-out rotates over to Jake Layman.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-03-17-at-10-09-26-am_lg.png" alt="" width="621" height="AUTO" />
This is where the risk assessment comes in. Instead of playing between two, LeBron takes away the easier-but-still-difficult pass to Layman since he&rsquo;s technically in Towns&rsquo; line of sight. Towns makes an incredible pass to Rubio, but that&rsquo;s the key here. Towns has to make an incredible pass to Rubio; it&rsquo;s the only option available.
It&rsquo;s easy to get caught up in the flashy stuff -- blocks, steals, drawn charges, deflections that lead to football pileups. All of that is important. But at its core, defense is about forcing offenses into uncomfortable decisions -- taking away the best options, making teams beat you with counters.
Within that context, the Lakers&rsquo; elite defense makes sense. They&rsquo;re tops in the NBA in defensive rating (106.0), and rank in the top five in half-court defense (91.7 points per 100 plays) and transition defense (117.2 per 100 plays), per Cleaning The Glass.
Their defensive shot profile makes their ethos pretty clear. The Lakers allow the 10th-lowest share of threes in the league (34.7% of shots), and the ninth-highest share of shots at the rim (36%). They&rsquo;re a funnel-and-rotate group with a healthy dose of ball pressure.
Anthony Davis has been out since February 16, a 12-game sample, and the Lakers have held their own. Their 108.0 defensive rating ranks third in the league during that span; their half-court defense has slipped to a top-12 level, but their transition defense has tightened by over four points per 100 plays.&nbsp;
In fact, the Lakers have been by far the stingiest defense in the league following a missed shot, allowing 89.1 points per 100 plays, according to Cleaning The Glass. For comparison, Steve Clifford&rsquo;s Orlando Magic rank second with a 104.1 clip.
LeBron&rsquo;s chasedown blocks are dope, but the stops don&rsquo;t have to be that loud.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lakers-transition-defense.gif" alt="" width="622" height="AUTO" />
Look at the early effort and communication. Talen Horton-Tucker doesn&rsquo;t dwell on the miss that took him out of bounds; he gets his butt back in the play. Caldwell-Pope eyes Rubio, calls for Morris to pick him up, then backpedals with Layman. Horton-Tucker picks up Towns as he attacks from the wing. Jones waits until Towns leaves his feet before skying to challenge the shot, then inhales the ball. Crisis aborted.
In the half-court, the Lakers have their thesis -- eliminate easy threes from good shooters -- but go about it in different ways. Their coverage against Towns, one of the best shooters on the planet, was flexible and effective.
Their ICE coverage -- you&rsquo;ll recognize it by the on-ball defender shifting his body in a way that forces the ball-handler down the sideline -- had layers to it. Sometimes, they&rsquo;d ICE the screen, then execute a &ldquo;peel switch&rdquo; to take away an easy catch-and-shoot opportunity.
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Other times, they&rsquo;d extend their coverage on the ball-handler and rely on a third defender to bother Towns on the catch. You can see Schroder stationed at the nail, prepared to rotate to Towns if the pass is made, or in position to deflect a longer skip to Rubio.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/neks_lg.png" alt="" width="616" height="AUTO" />
Even when the coverage wasn&rsquo;t perfect, you could see the Lakers had contingency plans in place.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lakers-mid-ice-rep.gif" alt="" width="622" height="AUTO" />
Montrezl Harrell stays a beat too long as Schroder spins off the Towns screen and stays attached. With Harrell caught in No Man&rsquo;s Land, Towns is open on the pop. You&rsquo;d love for Kyle Kuzma to give a little more &ldquo;oomph&rdquo; on this rep, but he&rsquo;s there enough to be in Towns&rsquo; peripheral.&nbsp;
Look a little deeper, and you can see Wes Matthews doing some subtle work on the weak side. He&rsquo;s directing some traffic as the Wolves set up the ball screen, and is in prime position to take away the cut from Juancho Hernangomez as Kuzma rotates over.
The Lakers continue to smother teams with a blend of speed and size. They&rsquo;re able to take away windows by switching a multitude of off-ball screens. There is no hesitancy to show their bigs at the level of the screen, because they know they have one of the best helpers in NBA history to clean up messes. LeBron remains a marvel -- and a legitimate candidate for an All-Defensive selection at his big ol&rsquo; age -- because of his feel and athleticism.
He puts out a ton of little fires on a nightly basis, like this:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lebron-little-fire.gif" alt="" width="622" height="AUTO" />
He&rsquo;s eyeing the Edwards post-up while Vanderbilt and Layman exchange behind him. Morris calls out a switch, then opts to follow his man anyway. LeBron adjusts on the fly, then picks up the cutting Layman. Edwards ends up fading, thus closing his own passing window, but LeBron is able to box Layman out and clean the glass.
Of course, the loud plays are there too:
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It&rsquo;s kinda funny that LeBron is so preoccupied with the duty of cleaning up messes that he ends up ball-watching and is forced to clean up his own. The reaction time and the precision of the block is pretty freaking incredible.
Even on a night where the Lakers gave up 121 points -- and yeah, we should note that it was the second night of a back-to-back -- you can see the &ldquo;why&rdquo; behind the Lakers&rsquo; elite defense. They&rsquo;re a well-coached group with scheme flexibility; a quick bunch at the point of attack with size waiting to swallow up rim attempts.&nbsp;
With Davis and Marc Gasol returning at some point during the second half, the Lakers will likely tighten their grip on the &ldquo;best defense&rdquo; title. It&rsquo;s a bit disheartening for opponents: there are no easy answers against the Lakers, and they still manage to take away your best options.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Los Angeles Lakers' top-ranked defense and how they are shutting down opposing offenses.

Rotation Roulette: How the Lakers shut down offenses

The Minnesota Timberwolves have reportedly been taking calls on a number of veterans, including Ricky Rubio, Juancho Hernangomez, Ed Davis and Jake Layman.
Source: <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-trade-rumors-lamarcus-aldridge-kyle-lowry-ricky-rubio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto/HoopsHype</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;According to Scotto, the Wolves are also continuing to monitor Aaron Gordon and John Collins as potential trade targets to fill the hole at power forward. Rubio was once a lottery pick to Minnesota back in 2009 and a longtime fan favorite who reunited with the team this season.
Jake Layman is in his second year with the Wolves as a slasher and shooter off the bench, while the 25-year-old Hernangomez came over from Denver in last year's four-team trade. Ed Davis joined the team on a one-year, $5 million contract this season.

The Wolves are also monitoring Aaron Gordon and John Collins.

Timberwolves listening to Rubio, Hernangomez, Layman offers

The Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to be the center of the NBA universe twice in a three-day span.
On Friday night, Anthony Edwards converted a poster dunk -- yes, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-dunks-poster-posterized-dunktionary-nekias-duncan-slam-putback-flyby-fastbreak-transition-lebron-james-vince-carter-blake-griffin-shaq-gerald-green-demar-derozan-larry-nance-jr-jayson-tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an actual poster</a> -- with remnants of <a href="https://youtu.be/gOcdOF04-wk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McGrady-on-Bradley</a> shining through. The dunk was so nasty, the conversation around it turned into a philosophical debate about single-game analysis and what really matters.&nbsp;
On Sunday night, the Wolves fired head coach Ryan Saunders. The move itself wasn&rsquo;t a shock; even within the context of injuries and COVID woes, a league-worst 7-24 record following a 19-45 campaign the year before doesn&rsquo;t inspire much confidence. Beyond bad and/or unavailable personnel, the process on both ends of the floor screamed, &ldquo;This needs to be shaken up, and quickly.&rdquo;
The hiring of Raptors assistant Chris Finch is one worth being optimistic about. He&rsquo;s long been regarded as one of the best offensive minds in basketball; heck, the Wolves interviewed him for the head gig before eventually hiring Saunders after the 2018-19 season. The existing history between Finch and the Wolves, specifically team president Gersson Rosas -- the two worked together in Houston as part of their then-D-League affiliate -- takes away some of the awkwardness of a hmm-that-was-quick coaching search.
While it&rsquo;s fair to feel uneasy about the <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1363704821497298945?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">optics of the hire</a>, the bottom line remains: this is a team in need of major overhaul. They have a generational offensive talent in Karl-Anthony Towns that they need to build around in an effective manner.
Towns recently expressed his desire to build a legacy in Minnesota, but he&rsquo;ll need help. The clock is ticking, and the Wolves don&rsquo;t necessarily have, say, Blazers-esque front-office competency to fall back on and feel super comfortable banking on Towns being their Damian Lillard. Here&rsquo;s how the Wolves should go about building this thing out.
UNLEASH QUARTERBACK KAT
Making sure your best player gets a healthy amount of touches isn&rsquo;t a profound analysis. At this point, it isn&rsquo;t as simple as getting Towns the ball: the Wolves need to reconfigure their thoughts on what Towns is.&nbsp;
He isn&rsquo;t just a talented three-level scorer; he has the scoring gravity and, more importantly, the passing chops needed for him to operate as a primary initiator. I mean this solely in terms of usage: the Wolves have to treat Towns more like Nikola Jokic and less like Nikola Vucevic.
<a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper">Caitlin Cooper</a> of Indy Cornrows, the Indiana Pacers&rsquo; blog for SB Nation, wrote <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2020/10/6/21501224/how-chris-finch-could-invert-the-pacers-offense-with-continuous-spacing">a fantastic piece</a> detailing Finch&rsquo;s offensive philosophy. Though it was written within the context of how his hiring could juice the Pacers&rsquo; offense and maximize the talents of Domantas Sabonis, many of those points are applicable to the Wolves and Towns.
The major theme of that piece, and what&rsquo;s important to gather in relation to a shift in usage for Towns, is the inversion of the offense. To put it simply: instead of primarily using actions that feature guards feeding Towns down low, Towns should be the primary initiator, stretching defenses from above the break to open up possibilities for everyone else.
We know what Towns brings to the table as a scorer. He&rsquo;s drained at least 40 percent of his threes in each of the past four seasons -- a 41.1 percent clip on nearly five attempts over that span. He&rsquo;s a sniper with his feet set, but adds another layer of terror by being able to fly off pindowns.&nbsp;
Per Synergy, Towns has graded in the 86th, 74th, 59th, and 81st percentile as a post scorer. His blend of touch, strength and footwork are rivaled by only a handful of players in the league.
Towns&rsquo; passing ability just hasn&rsquo;t been tapped into enough. Some of that starts with his actual placement in the offense. Towns has ranked 38th (3.6), 28th (3.6), 33rd (3.3), and 43rd (2.5) in <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches/?sort=ELBOW_TOUCHES&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elbow touches per game</a> over the past four seasons. For reference, Jokic, Sabonis, and Marc Gasol have taken turns leading the league during that stretch with double (and sometimes triple) the volume.
What&rsquo;s frustrating is that the Wolves have hinted at different actions that highlight Towns&rsquo; scoring gravity and passing ability.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kat-blind-pig.gif" alt="" width="706" height="AUTO" />
This is a variation of &ldquo;blind pig&rdquo; action -- a pitch to a high-post hub as another player cuts off of him simultaneously. It&rsquo;s about the pass -- you have to have a certain level of timing and touch to pull this action off -- but it&rsquo;s also about the placement. Towns being stationed just inside the arc brings Dwight Powell above the free-throw line. You can quibble about Powell being caught flat-footed instead of being more on his toes, but the recovery angle is tougher because of how high he&rsquo;s brought out. Ricky Rubio isn&rsquo;t even an explosive athlete, but with him catching the pass with a full head of steam, there&rsquo;s no time for Powell to turn and affect the shot.
If you want a more traditional example of an elbow touch, try this possession on for size:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kat-horns.gif" alt="" width="702" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s a HORNS alignment. Nothing fancy, but it&rsquo;s important to note the positioning of LaMarcus Aldridge. He&rsquo;s basically in Towns&rsquo; jersey. As Malik Beasley &ldquo;ghosts&rdquo; the back-screen for Juancho Hernangomez and cuts, the paint is completely exposed.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s special about Towns is that, though he can execute these sorts of sets, there&rsquo;s an improvisational aspect to his game just waiting to be explored.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kat-fake-cross%2C-manipulation.gif" alt="" width="706" height="AUTO" />
The Wolves are setting up a cross-screen underneath the basket to get Towns a post-up. Towns reverses course on the fly, rejecting the screen and lifting up to the wing. Nerlens Noel has to take the road less traveled to get there; Towns pumps, drives, then finds Jaden McDaniels after reading the &ldquo;tag&rdquo; from Reggie Bullock.
The Wolves are an odd case to where they&rsquo;ve taken the &ldquo;right&rdquo; shots -- only the Rockets (82.8%) and Raptors (77.3%) have taken a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/nba/team?Season=2020-21,2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;StartType=All" target="_blank" rel="noopener">larger share of their shots at the rim or from three</a> than the Wolves (76.4%) over the past two seasons -- but the offense has still been terrible. The first step to correcting that issue is leveraging the full breadth of Towns' skill set. Shots at the rim and threes are inherently valuable, but you still have to create quality looks from those areas.
PULLING THE PLUG EARLY
&ldquo;Towns and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell have only played five games together! The Wolves don&rsquo;t really know what they have in them yet.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a common, somewhat reasonable counter to the dire straits the Wolves find themselves in. You can&rsquo;t call an experiment a failure if you haven&rsquo;t had the opportunity to test it out.
[taps forehead]
I&rsquo;m not sure how hot of a take this is, but I&rsquo;d argue the Wolves have seen enough. In the case of Russell, he&rsquo;s young (25), but not young enough to where we don&rsquo;t have a handle on his strengths and weaknesses. There&rsquo;s still room and time for him to grow, but we have the template: a pull-up artist with good passing vision that doesn&rsquo;t pressure the rim, and a poor defender with limited upside.
Russell has utility, but it&rsquo;s fair to question if he&rsquo;s truly a core piece you want to build with long-term. The &ldquo;poor defender with limited upside&rdquo; bit may seem harsh, but the Wolves want to build a winner around Towns at a certain point. That means thinking about what this team will look like in a playoff setting. Within that context, having Russell at the point of attack in end-of-game scenarios is problematic for obvious reasons.
About that utility: the bulk of Russell&rsquo;s value comes on the offensive end. He&rsquo;s a slithery guard in high ball-screen situations with an ability to pull-up from just about anywhere. When he&rsquo;s rolling, he&rsquo;s able to leverage the threat of his shot to sling cross-court dimes when the defense rotates early.
In a world where Towns soaks up more playmaking usage, how valuable is Russell to the offense? When you add in the context of Malik Beasley further establishing himself as a stationary and movement shooter, the downhill fire that Edwards brings and the borderline destructive nature of Russell&rsquo;s defense, what exactly is the argument to him being QB2 on the Wolves&rsquo; core list?
To be clear, the defensive fit for Russell is a much more pressing issue than the offensive fit. And while I understand the Wolves don&rsquo;t have to choose between two of the Russell/Edwards/Beasley triumvirate, there may be diminishing returns with keeping Russell long term.
It&rsquo;s hard to imagine there wouldn&rsquo;t be teams that could talk themselves into a shot creation upgrade: Philadelphia, Dallas, New York and Memphis come to mind. There are some workable &ldquo;young secondary ball-handler + defensive pieces&rdquo; deals to be had if you fire up your local trade machine.&nbsp;
STEPPING UP
Minnesota will need to up its level defensively, figuratively and literally. Though we&rsquo;ve seen stretches of improvement, Towns remains a less-than-ideal backline anchor. The Wolves mostly deploy him in drop coverage, keeping him near the rim to contest shots and clean the glass.
The issue is that Towns still struggles to navigate the gap while dropping. Too often, he&rsquo;s caught dropping back too far and giving up easier intermediate shots (you want long twos in an ideal world), or he&rsquo;s lunging at the ball-handler and giving up an easy pass behind him.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kat-bad-drop.gif" alt="" width="706" height="AUTO" />
You can see what Towns was thinking: &ldquo;My guy got caught; I need to take away the elbow jumper!&rdquo; He seemingly had no faith in McDaniels (No. 3) providing &ldquo;nail&rdquo; help to either take away a potential pull-up or contest it. The result was Towns taking himself out of the play.
At this point, I&rsquo;m interested in seeing the Wolves take the opposite approach: bring Towns to the level of the screen or have him hard hedge. Force some activity.&nbsp;
The Wolves now have a pair of versatile forwards -- McDaniels and Jarred Vanderbilt -- that provide real value as weakside rim protectors. To draw on the Jokic/Nuggets example from earlier in the piece: McDaniels or Vanderbilt would be Minnesota&rsquo;s version of Paul Millsap in this scheme. You can afford to put two to the ball, in pick-and-rolls or on drives if you have this kind of explosiveness behind you.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/mcdaniels-swat.gif" alt="" width="706" height="AUTO" />
We have enough evidence that Towns isn&rsquo;t capable of anchoring a defense right now. If he can&rsquo;t navigate space and make reads on the fly, simplify his job and surround him with length and athleticism so there&rsquo;s less to navigate.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan dives into how the Wolves can maximize Karl-Anthony Towns' underutilized skill set on both ends of the floor.