The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night and there were more clues to how this team will look this year.
With another monster night from Rudy Gobert and a big second half from Anthony Edwards, here are five things that we learned in the win over the Lakers.
Rudy Gobert is worth the price of admission
Gobert had another big night for the Timberwolves, putting up 22 points and pulling down 21 rebounds. The seven-footer was particularly effective on the offensive end, pulling down eight offensive boards – including one on an Edwards miss with 57.6 seconds to go that put the Wolves ahead 107-99.
Gobert’s presence also caused problems while Anthony Davis sat out with lower back tightness, holding the Lakers to 41.6 percent shooting over the course of the game.
There are moments where the Timberwolves appear to be forcing looks on Gobert offensively, but that’s a work in progress. After six games, Gobert is averaging 15.0 points and 15.2 rebounds, which is helping the Timberwolves so far.
KAT is settling in at the four
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Karl-Anthony Towns to adjust to playing beside Gobert but Friday was a step in the right direction.
Towns went off in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the final frame while shooting 6-for-9 with two 3-pointers. Towns also finished with eight rebounds and seven assists while backing his transition to power forward after the game.
“I don’t got no ego in this. I just want to win,” Towns said. “I’ve said that since Day 1. People question it, and I don’t know why. I think I’ve proved it in my actions and the way my career has played out so far. I’ve always put this team and this organization first, even when it wasn’t the cool thing.”
Gobert also praised Towns’ willingness to make the switch work, which could be a benefit as the two get comfortable in the Timberwolves’ new offense.
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Anthony Edwards is on a mission this season
The first half didn’t go well for Edwards but the second half was a continuation of his hot start to the season.
Edwards scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half and missed a free throw in the final seconds that would have given him his fourth 30-point game of the season.
Through six games, Edwards is averaging a career-high 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He’s also shooting 47 percent from the floor while knocking down 35.3 percent of 3-pointers.
If Edwards continues to play like this, it could be a breakout season for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The pick-and-roll game needs work
While Towns, Edwards and Gobert all had solid nights, the same can’t be said for D’Angelo Russell.
The Timberwolves point guard shot just 4-for-15 on the night and 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Although he found other ways to get on the scoresheet with seven assists and six steals, there is more to be expected from his offensive game, which left him with just 11 points on the night.
One reason could be the Timberwolves’ ironing out the kinks on offense, where Russell needs to find the pick-and-roll game he had with Jarret Allen during his time in Brooklyn. We’re six games into the season, so we can assume Russell will get comfortable with Gobert in due time and eventually start performing better offensively.
The Lakers are as bad as advertised
Sometimes the national media can blow things out of proportion but Friday’s game made it perfectly clear: the Lakers are a bad team.
LeBron James scored 28 points with seven rebounds and five assists, but his supporting cast is crumbling at the seams. Russell Westbrook came off the bench and shot just 6-for-17 from the field and as we mentioned earlier, Davis missed Friday’s game as he continues to battle injuries.
This is all good news for the Timberwolves, who are looking to move into the upper tier of Western Conference contenders, but as for right now, the Lakers don’t appear to be a team they have to worry about.