Knicks vs Timberwolves Preview | Julius Randle vs Karl-Anthony Towns Showdown at MSG

Knicks vs Timberwolves Preview | Julius Randle vs Karl-Anthony Towns Showdown at MSG

Got blowing armor of laws, meaning you pursue your own cause. Last of a dodging you rolling, got the beats dropping. Let’s get into this, man. Let’s get into this. Yo, what up Knicks Nation. Welcome back to another game preview. We got the New York Knicks hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. You know what that means? Julius Randall, Dante Dantenzo are returning back to Madison Square Garden. And you know they want to come back with a vengeance and but you know who else wants to get some vengeance? Carl Anthony Towns, baby. So this is going to be skyrockets. This is what we’re gonna get. We’re gonna get fireworks in tomorrow’s game, man. And let’s get ready for this matchup. And who better to help me get ready for tomorrow’s matchup nothing than Ben Beacon. He’s a beacon of hope for the Minnesota Timberwolves. All right. He covers the Minnesota Timberwolves for locked on Timberwolves. So make sure to follow him and subscribe. Make sure to hit that thumbs up button for your boy. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already done so. All right, guys. Let’s get into this. Let’s get this conversation rolling. Ben, how you doing, man? How you feeling today? Feeling pretty good. How about you? How are you doing? I’m doing all right, man. Look, the Knicks, uh, you know, they won a game. They were on a two-game winning streak after going on a three-game skid. So, you know, people are now happy. The fan base is happy. There was a little doom and gloom thinking that this team was mid awful. You know, you just keep running down the list. There’s high expectations for this Knicks team, Ben. So, people just need to see that this team is competent and ready to compete for a championship title. But, you know, other than that, I’m doing well, man. I’m doing well. Yeah. No, it’s good. I I mean, Knicks are back at home. They’ve been playing better at home this year. And, um, you know, I I I still think like some of the teams they lost to, and maybe we’ll get into this, but like the Bucks, the Bulls, I think they’re both pretty good teams. You know, I think Wolves are in a similar place, right? Like the the Wolves, there’s a little bit of doom and gloom around the Wolves, too, but they’ve won a couple straight now, too. Okay, there we go. So, let’s let’s let’s start this off first. Before we get to the Timberwolves, I got to ask you about the Knicks since this is a Knicks ccentric show. So, what do you think about the Knicks offseason moves? Getting Jordan Clarkson, getting Gersonel, you know, let’s start with those two players first. Yeah, I mean, I think I think they both added elements uh to the Knicks that that are important. I think Jordan Clarkson’s more of a Mike Brown player probably than a Tibs player. So, that you know, that made some sense. they could use a little bit uh of some of some of that punch or they could have used a little bit of the punch from the back court when especially when Jaylen Brunson’s not in the game. Um so I think I think that addition makes sense. I’m a big Yabiselli fan. I think he adds a lot to the Knicks. Um it was a team that obviously given cap constraints wasn’t going to do a whole lot other than make some moves around the edges and um I think I think they did a really good job with that and and I think ultimately both those guys are going to play a big role both both from a depth standpoint in the regular season and and um you know I think I think you know ultimately like I don’t know what the the minutes load looks like for somebody like Yabelli but I think again having the depth over the over the course of a long season obviously already seen with the Mitchell Robinson injury you I think that’s going to be important and I think Jordan Clarkson I mean um he’s going to he’s going to play a really big role and I think even in the playoffs when it comes to Clarkson again the the non Brunson minutes I’m sure um and you guys would know better than me so far this year but my hunch is that that’s going to be a really important thing for him to to kind of come through in those moments. Absolutely. Especially with Jordan Clarkson and you need him to you know essentially fill in for the role of Jaylen Brunson. be exactly Jaylen Brunson, but you know, you’re going to need a guy who’s able to break down the defense, get to the cup, create his own shot. And that’s what we were missing, lacking last season is that once Brunson left the floor, there was nobody else that can create their own shot. Yeah, Carl Anthony Towns, as you know, efficient scorer, but he’s not really a guy that, you know, you hand the rock to, it’s like, all right, cat, go create for yourself, man. He really feel he really gets going once the flow of the offense and guys are looking for him. So when you don’t have Brunson out there, that’s when we saw this team struggle in the postseason and it was a big grind. It was like watching Gears just grind every single night facing against the Detroit Pistons, going against the Boston Celtics, ultimately losing to the Ind Indiana Pacers, but it just felt like a struggle. So hopefully Clarkson is able to relieve Brunson and just, you know, allow that ease for this this team to get some better looks with somebody who’s able to just keep the defense on their toes. So that’s what we’re hoping for Jordan Clarkson. And so far he’s done that the last two games. Looks like he’s starting to get into a good flow. And then with Yabiselli, as you mentioned, he’s still trying to find his way. You know, it’s been a very up and down, but look, it’s only like a seven games in. We’re talking about seven games into the regular season. I’m going to give him some time. Even though there’s been some wild and flagrant nicknames coming through the chat and I know people want me to say it. I’m not going to say it. We’re not going to talk about it. It’s just wild. CKPR did it. I’m not going to do that. So, yaboo. You just need some time, man. But we get the vision there. We get the vision, Ben. Yeah. And I think I think the Clarkson thing also like I mean you mentioned like creating their own offense from the back court, you know, in addition to what Cat can do, but I think also just Carl Towns has so much gravity himself like when again when Brunson’s off the floor, um if teams are going to load up on Cat, then you have somebody who on the second, you know, can second side attack, right? You swing the ball and somebody like Clarkson can take on a one-on-one or a defense that’s in rotation and and get the ball to the basket or knock down an open shot. Um, you know, obviously to an extent like Mikuel Bridges does that as well, but like again somebody who who can kind of do that from the the quoteunquote point guard the combo guard spot and I think that that doing that both creating for Cat and then also creating for himself off of the gravity Cat creates is going to be super important for the Knicks this year. Absolutely. But you know what’s been really fun to watch is when Brunson and Clarkson share the four together just because you have two guys that can create for themselves. And like I looks like Clarkson just plays a lot better when he has somebody out there that he knows he can rely on that can also create their own shots just because it opens up the lane even more for him. And you know Clarks is a shifty guy. I’m calling him Gumby like just just because the man is able to contort himself in ways just to like find passes or just get to the hoop. So it’s great watching him and and uh Brunson share the court. That’s been a lot of fun. I think that’s been the most pleasant surprise so far with Clarkson uh you know being on this roster so far. But yeah, I I think those I think those additions are big for the Knicks. I think they did a good job given given what they could do in the offseason. Yeah, for sure. For sure. For sure. What do you think about the Mike Brown hire? That’s because a lot of people were like, “Ah, Tip should have been fired.” Some people understood the understood the firing of Tom Tibido. I mean, you covered the Wolves, so Tom Tibido had that stop over there as well. What were your thoughts about that coaching change? Yeah, it it so it’s funny like both when Mike Brown was fired last year and then when Tibs was fired this off seasonason and also like when Michael Baloon was fired and obviously I think you know that maybe turns out might turn out to be okay but like all those firings my initial reaction was like why like why are those guys getting fired? Um, so like one of those guys is now replacing another one of those guys in Tibs. But also like you have to cover a team every day and and watch that team every day to know like Tibs as you guys know like Tibs can wear on a team, he can wear on a fan base, he could wear on media, I’m sure. um like it he’s successful successful to a point and and and it’s tough because like how do you how do you fire a guy who has had success and went to a conference finals and and but obviously the conference finals aren’t the goal and that’s as far as he got with the Bulls. He didn’t get out of the first round with the Timberwolves and um and so I you know I get it. Um, at the same time, I didn’t think Mike Brown should have been fired. Like, like, yeah, the Kings were off to a rough start last year, but just two years prior, he had the the Kings uh what in the 22 23 season had the number one offense in the entire NBA. like he did a really good job with the team that had some mismatched parts and obviously they they’ve got good players and and but I think he was probably his staff was part of de developing Donna Sabonis and and Darren Fox was really good under Mike Brown and and um obviously they ended up moving on from him last year but he had two 46 plus win seasons with the Kings and was only a little under 500 with some bad luck in close games last year when they fired him. So I thought that was kind of crazy. I think he’s a good fit for the Knicks. Obviously a different type of coach than Tibs. I know the Knicks were better offensively than defensively, strangely enough, under Tom Thibido, but um but I think Mike Brown and his offensive acumen and what he can bring um you know, on that end of the floor, I think is is a good hire for the Knicks. It seems to be um you know, from afar, a good a good move to hire him. Um just given the success I think I think he kind of got a bad rap. It was like ah LeBron’s the reason he succeeded early on, but the opportunities he’s had since then, he’s done a pretty good job. and he obviously was with the Warriors for a long time as an assistant under Steve Curran. So, he’s got a track record of success and and um you know, a pretty pretty long track record of success in the NBA. So, I I like the hire of the Knicks. Yeah, the hire for me it was like I’m more of like a wait and see type of approach just because going from what Tibs to Mike Brown and with what the front office said, you know, the sole focus is winning a championship. So there’s a lot of, you know, high expectation. There’s a lot of pressure for Mike Brown to now deliver on that. And, you know, nothing’s ever guaranteed in sports, but that’s some big shoes and a big obligation to fill. So, I don’t want to say it’s a great hire because now the front office has set that level of expectation. And even though Mike Brown wasn’t the first choice, right? Actually, you know, they went to they wanted to get Jason Kidd, you know, they wanted to get Chris Finch from the Timberwolves. So, you know, the Knicks were looking around before they landed on Mike Brown. And so, even though he wasn’t the first hire, you know, it’s still a wait and see. And that’s why because wasn’t the first hire, you want to see if he can how far he can take this team. I know it’s year one, so he wants to implement his system. And that’s still going to take be a work in progress as the season progresses. So, there’s a lot of factors for me to evaluate how he’s doing. And it’s not going to be, oh, well, great. I like I love to hire. Some people are and that’s great if you have though if you have that inclination just because of what he did with Sacramento. But this is a different roster. This is not a high-speed roster like the Sacramento Kings with Darren Fox. You don’t have the same type of center as Sabonis who is willing to just swing the rock around left to right working the high post which is like his natural, you know, his forte I should say. So it’s just different. So I got to see how it all plays out. And to be quite honest, just to go through these seven games, looking at how the Knicks have progressed, it’s they still need to play with that methodical mindset that they had last season, like there is that still we got to not fully grind it up, but play the possession battle, slow it down so that way guys get to their spots. But they have been able to blend in attacking at a high pace. Whether that is Towns looking for guys who are cutting the lane, whether that is Brunson just driving to the lane and helping kick it out and just like spraying it out to three-point shooters and moving at an uptempo pace, working off dribble handoffs. So, they’re implementing some of those things, but it’s not going to be that constant upbeat tempo that we saw with the Sacramento Kings. And I’m fine with that. It’s that this team is not like that. And I think having a good blend of that helps balance them out. Yeah. And I agree with wait and see. I mean, like obviously that there’s a reason he’s been fired multiple times, right? like like there he hasn’t had like outside of LeBron, he hasn’t had like a massive amount of success, but the track record especially with the Kings I thought is good enough and and we’ll see how creative he could be with a very different roster. But but yeah, I I like I like I think he’s gotten a bad rap as a coach. I think he’s a it’s it’s probably a good thing to have a different demeanor mentality approach than what the last guy was and it’s largely the same roster. So I think it’s going to be a pretty intriguing thing to follow throughout the season. Um but but I think there’s a good chance that it works out okay. Yeah, hopefully it does, man. Hopefully it does. And, you know, for things working out, uh, before we get into there, I want to, you know, shout out to one of our sponsors and, uh, our first sponsor is, uh, Square. Man, I want to shout Square before we get into the whole, uh, intel on the Minnesota rule. So, Square, this episode is brought to you by Square. Your favorite neighborhood spot runs on Square. These businesses are what make the neighborhood the neighborhood. These are the places that become an extension of home. When neighborhood businesses thrive, the whole neighborhood thrives. When we show up as a community, it can mean big business for local business owners. Money spent in the neighborhood stays in the neighborhood. Take this ad as an excuse to go support your favorite local spot and have yourself a day in the neighborhood. Square is a proud partner of more than four million neighborhood businesses around the world. You can go to square.com/kgo/kftv to learn more. But before you do, go support your favorite neighborhood spot. You’ll be you did square. See you in the neighborhood. All right. Got to just shout out our sponsor, Square. Now, let’s get back to it. Make sure hit that thumbs up button for your boy. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already done so. Ben, let’s talk about the Minnesota Timberwolves for a bit because this is a team that also has some high aspirations after making it to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. One with Carthia Towns, then you make the mega trade, get Julius and Dante. You get back to the Western Conference Finals, would woo to the OKC Thunder, who would then win the entire thing. What’s the expectation for this season? Is it the same thing? Is it to go further? What are the Timberwolves trying to do here? Yeah, I mean it’s conference finals two years in a row. So it it would be kind of I I think it’d be um I think the only thing to say would be championship or bust, right? I mean you got an ascending and Anthony Edwards. Um I know like all the um you know FanDuel and all the books had the Timberwolves a little bit down this year, the overunder and everybody’s picking um obviously OKC, but um Denver, you know, obviously got better this off seasonason and the West is just is just an absolute beast. So, it’s fair to to wonder if they can get back to that level, but the Timberwolves really the roster didn’t change very much. They only lost one rotation guy, Nikil Alexander Walker. And um otherwise, they’re running it back and Anthony Edwards should be even better this year. He’s made a leap um you know, kind of incremental improvements each of the last few years. He’s been all NBA second team the last couple seasons. He’s pretty much globally thought of as like a top six player. Like um there’s like a clear top four, I think, on most rankings that it’s either him or WBY that’s five or six. and like there’s no reason that they shouldn’t be right in the conversation for a championship. At the same time, you know, filling that Alexander Walker role is a challenge. It’s going to be a young guy. It’s going to be some combination of Rob Dillingham or or Terence Shannon Jr., um Jaylen Clark, uh and and you know, unproven guys. But, but my counter to that has always just been, look, seven of the top eight guys are the same. Ants an ascending star who’s not yet in his prime. Jane McDaniels has been awesome so far this year. He’s still getting better. same draft class as Anthony Edwards. So, um, like I don’t I don’t see the case for the team not being better. And if that’s the case, they’ve gone to the conference finals two straight years. Last year, they only won 49 games in the regular season. So, I think it’s fair to to say, you know, two years ago, it was 56. With CAT, they won 56 games. I mean, the goal should be to get a top four seed. So, that’s probably going to be at least 52 53 wins in the West. and then obviously to go to the finals and hopefully win the finals. But um they’re going to be right there at the end of the season in the West and hopefully hopefully all the way to the actual NBA finals. Hey, that was a big aspirations and look, they’re right there with the Knicks and you know, when you look at the ascension of Anthony Edwards, have you seen him change up his game? Because I know last year there was like a little bit of too much of an over reliance on three. Do you see him going back to doing what he did when he first entered the league, incorporating that mid-range, getting downhill, just kind of being that complete three-level score? Yeah, I mean, he’s trying to find the right kind of um you know, place to to put the the shot meter, right? Like what where how how much are we waiting perimeter versus in the paint? He’s never really been like a massive mid-range uh diet guy. like his rookie season. Finch got hired midway through his rookie season and Finch kind of like got him to stop shooting mid-range jumpers for a while and and but he got to the rim a lot and the last two years like you alluded to, he got to the rim less. It it improved as the year went on last year and he did shoot a ton of threes, but he made he both took and made more threes than anybody else in the entire NBA. He was just a shade under 40% when it was all said and done. So, the volume stuff worked. It was his best offensive season. But, but there’s two pieces to that. one, he does need to get to the line more often. Like, how does Sha Gil just say Alexander do what he does? I mean, he’s obviously incredible, but he’s also incredible at getting to the free throw line. And there’s a few points a game that Ant doesn’t get because he isn’t going to the rim quite as much as he used to. I also, this is a whole other topic. I have a I have a I think a pretty a pretty sound theory about him not getting enough free throws. I think it’s there’s a bit of a what I call a shack effect where he’s so big and strong he finishes through contact. He doesn’t try and avoid contact and so it doesn’t impact him and so he doesn’t get as many foul calls. He’s also athletic enough he can avoid contact if he wants to and so he doesn’t get the glancing blows aren’t aren’t seen by the officials because Ant just plays through it. He’s like a he’s like a fullback, right? Like he’s like a a big running back where he’s just playing through the contact. So that’s a piece of it. And then I think the other thing you you mentioned the mid-range game. I think it’s important to have it in in the bag so that you can go to it. Um especially, you know, end of clock situation, shot clock, end of quarter, end of game where you just got to get a shot up and you need to have that in the bag. You need to be able to do it and it also keeps defenses honest a little bit. I think it should be the least frequent shot he shoots. Like even the guys that were the best at it, you know, Kobe and and obviously Michael Jordan and guys like that or or Kevin Garnett had a great mid-range turnaround in a Timber’s uniform. It’s not the most efficient shot, but it’s important to be able to go to it when you need it. And so, I think being able to do that, that was what the word was. He spent all offseason working on the mid-range game and trying to kind of hone that. And he wasn’t great in clutch situations last year. The Timber Wolves were bad in close late clutch situations. So, I think that could be an important tool in the toolbox for him to be able to go to it so that teams aren’t like, “All right, he’s either going to the rim or he’s jacking up a three.” To be able to to do everything in between is also going to be important. So, yeah, I I do think we’re seeing that progression and he keeps getting better. Like last year, he was last offseason it was he needs to improve the three-point shot and what did he do? He made more threes than anyone else in the NBA. So, now what happens this year? Now, he’s only played in basically two games. He he played like six minutes at the start of the third game and then left with a hamstring injury. He’s questionable to play Wednesday night. Um I would be willing to bet that almost every time Ant has been questionable in his career, he plays. But this is the first time it’s like a soft tissue injury. it’s a hamstring. You know, if it was an ankle, I’d be like, “Yeah, he’s playing. Don’t you like just consider him playing?” I bet they’re a little more cautious because it’s a hamstring. I bet it’s truly 5050 that he plays Wednesday night. Um, but I I’d be surprised if he wasn’t back by the weekend. Now, did he go through practice today? I did see that. Right. Yeah, he did. He practiced Tuesday and Chris Finch seemed to like be completely transparent when he said, “I have no idea if he’s playing tomorrow.” The team officially said he’s questionable, but he’s been ruled out, you know, the last few games. This is the first time he’s actually on there as questionable. So, there’s a chance he plays. I you know it’s a hammy though so like it’s it’s a bit if I were the Timberwolves I’d be really cautious. Um selfishly I’d love to see him play but I’ll be nervous the whole time if he’s played on Wednesday for sure. was it got to see an play at the Garden and my god that is a guy that everyone should take the time to go watch because I don’t know how how he does it man but that his athleticism it’s like when he makes a move it’s like he’s running on clouds you know and like to still do it with the force that he has to attack the rim it’s just insane it’s a crazy combination you know I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that since like I would say it’s like a bigger and I’m not saying the skill of Nate Robinson, but like Nate Robinson for his size and his power, right? Like he and his athleticism, he was just able to like float. Put that in a bigger body and a more talented body like, you know, Anthony Edwards and that’s that’s essentially what it is to me. Yeah, there’s a lot of Dwayne Wade to to the way he the the combination of power and athleticism. He’s a better shooter than than Wade and he’s a little bigger. Um but but that’s that’s a like a more like a I think a decent modern comp. But yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to say. The combination of like athleticism and power, the fluidity all at the same time and that quick first step. He can really do anything on the court and it’s just breathtaking to watch him, you know, take off for a dunk or you don’t know what he’s going to do when he takes off and and the moments on the defensive end, too. I mean, he’s had game- saving blocks each of the last two years at the end of regulation against the the Pacers two years ago, the Thunder last year, and it’s just he comes out of nowhere and blocks the ball up up by the square. Like, stuff like that that you just that’s what you’re you’re paying to see. and and Ant can do anything at any point in time when he’s on the court. For sure. For sure. But you know, there’s other guys on this team that have contributed mightily, especially for their success. And uh those guys are Julius Randall and Dante Danchenzo. Dante being named the starting point guard for this season for the Timberwolves. And Julius Randall uh seeing some numbers, he looks like he’s, you know, an efficient more efficient player than he was on the Knicks with Minnesota. So let’s start off with uh with Dante first. How’s he been doing? Yeah, as you mentioned, he’s he started the year in the starting lineup. He was not in the preseason. It was kind of a surprise that on opening night in Portland, they said he was going to be starting in place of Mike Connley, who then moved to the bench, and then now Connley’s been starting since the end injury. So, they’ve both been starting together. Dante’s been great. Um, he uh I don’t know if they ever officially said that he broke his nose the other night. I don’t know if you saw that nasty injury, but he took an elbow against Charlotte on Saturday or Yeah. somebody came down, hit him right on the nose, came back in the game with no mask, just like crooked nose, blood everywhere, played the rest of the game. It was crazy. Um, if you haven’t seen it, like people got people got to go look at it’s it’s gross. And then he played with the mask on Monday against against Brooklyn and played awesome. And so there’s all these like, you know, mask Dante looks like Nick’s Dante in terms of scoring. Like that’s I he had 20 I think he led the team with scoring in scoring with 25 on Monday. Um overall like his numbers are actually pretty similar to what he did with the Knicks most as a most of the time starter a couple of years ago. He’s shooting like 43% for three. He’s averaging like I think 16 a game. Uh just over 15 a game right now. Um he’s still obviously trying to kind of find it. He’s not a natural point guard and and he’s a point guard in name because like everybody starts a point guard, but when he’s on the court with Ant, An Aunt’s the one that’s doing more of the operating and Dante can catch and shoot. Um he got up like 13 threes on Monday night. So he’s just uh right now he’s played really well off Julius Randle. They have a nice two-man game. He’s playing really well with Jaden McDaniels who’s been awesome. Um so Devenzo’s been really really good. I think I think maybe they they could use a little more from him defensively. The Wolves defense has not been great. um and and having a out hurts because he’s a really good defender. But I I think if Dante can pick it up a little defensively on the offensive end, he’s been fantastic so far this year. Okay. And then you got Julius. So what about Julius? How’s Julius doing with the Timberwolves? I mean, we’re seven games in, so I say this with with all the caution in the world. But like if the season just magically ended after seven games, this is the best season of his career. I know he was an all-star a couple times with the Knicks. So like those that’s where the numbers are at, right? Um now there’s an element of ants out. So, like he’s got the ball in his hands a lot more, but he’s also not trying to do too much. And it’s funny cuz last year Randle missed about a month with injury and and even talked about this in the media like he came back, he saw the team was playing without him and how the ball moved and and all this stuff and he came back and he was awesome and and he dominated against the Lakers in the playoffs. He he killed Draymond Green in the second round of the playoffs last year. Um struggled against the Thunder, but everyone struggled against the Thunder. And he looks like that guy. Um, and and he’s averaging 26 a game. The three-point shot is is again like I don’t think he finishes the season at 43%, but it would be the second time in his career is over 40%. So, everything is trending in the right direction for Julius Randall. He’s having an awesome start to the year. Um, he had a triple double. I think his is like 13th in his career, but first in a Timber Rules uniform um on Monday. So, like everything is clicking for Julius Randle. The decision-m is good. He’s not trying to do too much either passing or scoring. And sometimes he does like he he toggles the lever too much towards one thing or the other and it’s like I’m going to pass. I’m going to make a crazy pass or I’m going to score no matter what. But he’s making the right decisions and he’s he’s fitting in really well with the team. Um and so then the next question is when Ant does come back, whether it’s Wednesday or Friday or next week, um you know, will the offense flow the way it has without Ant with Julius Randle? really kind of I mean he’s the point forward right now like he’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Timberwolves offense and he’s doing a really good job. Okay. And and wasn’t it kind of like that in the postseason too? So don’t you think you you saw that in the postseason last year. Don’t you think that could continue for this season too? I do. Yeah. Yeah. I I I have I think I mean you got you got to remember like you guys know that that trade happened the EVA training camp last year. So it it it took forever for everybody to get comfortable in their new cities with their new teams and and and even more so for Dianzo, but it really wasn’t until like each both Denzo and Randall missed a month a piece like in the January, February, March time frame last year and it over overlapped a little bit and then when everybody was back in mid late March things clicked. The Wolves finished the year on like a I don’t know 15 and six run over the last 2021 games. Um and and each of those guys were a big part of it. They were both awesome in the playoffs and now of course that you’re dealing with the ant injury and and Devenzo getting nicked up a little bit early in this year uh or in this season, but I think we’ve seen what that can look like when all those guys are healthy and on the floor and sharing the basketball and and I have pretty high confidence that they can make it work. Um Julius Randle and Chris Finch are a really good match for one another. Finch loves to use Randle as a point forward. Randle loves that Finch trusts him. They were together in New Orleans um briefly when Finch was an assistant and offensive coordinator down there a few years ago. So, there’s history there and I think there’s a lot of trust and Ant loves Finch and and I think they can get it all together. Uh, the high the best case version of this offense is definitely a really really good offense. I mean, last year it was six I think in the league when it was all said and done and I think top five offense is definitely a possibility for this team. Okay, there you go. Ben says top five offense for this Minnesota Timberwolves team is possible. Salutation, thank you for all tuning for another game of the week preview. Hit that thumbs up button for your boy. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already done so. With me on the other side is my guy Ben Beacon. He covers the Minnesota Timberwolves for Walked on Timberwolves. All right, part of the Walk on Network. So, make sure to go check him out there. And hey, while you’re here, make sure to support our new sponsor, Rua. Okay, so let’s talk about Rua for a second. Look, taking care of your mental health shouldn’t be harder than taking care of your physical health. If you pull a muscle, you go see a doctor. But when it comes to finding the right therapist, subtly, it’s frustrating. You’ve got long wait list. You’re starting or you’re starting you’re or you’re staring down a huge out-of- pocket cost. That’s what usually stops people from getting help. That’s where Rua comes in. Rule makes therapy simple, affordable, and fast. They work with most major insurance plans and the average session co-pay is just $15. That’s right, 15 bucks. That’s basically the cost of lunch. But instead of a sandwich, you’re investing in your own headsp space. And with Rua, you’re not just matched and left to figure it out. 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Let’s talk about this matchup. Ben, we got a game happening tomorrow between the Knicks and the Timberwolves. And like I said earlier when I started the show, you know, there’s a little bit of bad, man. You you know these teams, not necessarily the teams I should say, but the players who were involved in the big trade want to prove a point. You know, there’s always that little bit of sense of like, h, you gave up too early on me, man. So, it’s going to be an interesting matchup. Like, like we already discussed, the Knicks, it’s going to be a blend of like slow pace, uptempo, beat, trying to get these guys off, you know, uneven when it comes to their style of attack. And the defense has been pretty solid. This team likes to generate a lot of turnovers right now. How do you think the Timberwolves will match up with uh tomorrow’s game? What’s their play style? Yeah, terbles don’t play very fast. Um, in general, I think it’s one of the things I’ve been hoping. I think Chris Finch wants them to play faster. Um, you know, depending on especially like Gobear’s off the floor. The Timber are better when Rudy Gobear’s on the floor um by a lot actually. And one of the biggest problems has been when he’s off the floor, the defense just craters. Um, Minnesota wants to play slow. They are a a really good three-point shooting team. Um, an inconsistent rebounding team. I worried a little bit about the offensive rebounding of the Knicks. I know they’ve been good to this point this year. Um, and I’m assuming Mitchell Robinson’s not playing, but like even still, they’re a good offensive rebounding team. Um, I I think this is one of those matchups where Minnesota needs to be careful to not get sucked into playing faster. Um, to your point, like the Knicks can if they want to, and Minnesota in theory can, but like honestly, they play faster and Ant doesn’t play because Ant is the guy as as crazy as it is that likes to slow things down. He likes to survey the floor. He likes to get his, you know, he likes to shoot pull-up threes um and kind of let everybody catch up. So, if Ant doesn’t play, the Wolves may end up playing a little bit at a faster pace. But my biggest concerns for this game are uh the perimeter defense because there’s enough guys you got to worry about on the Knicks. Um obviously starting with Jaylen Brunson, but um you know, beyond that with Bridges and everything like Minnesota’s perimeter defense with no Anthony Edwards has been up and down. Um, the name I would say to keep an eye out for that Knicks fans may not be familiar with is Jaylen Clark. And I think he he may get some significant minutes guarding Jaylen Brunson. Um, obviously Jane McDaniels is a guy that everybody knows as as it was all defensive second team a couple years ago. He’s been phenomenal on both ends so far this year, but I don’t necessarily he may start on Brunson, but I think he’s a better match to to guard somebody like Bridges. Um, he’s also got a better chance at not getting sucked into foul trouble there, I think, whereas Brunson will draw him into his web and and that’ll be an issue. Jaylen Clark is is a a really a third-year guy. He he was the Naymith defensive player of the year in college at UCLA a couple years ago, but Torres Achilles at the end of college. So, he was a second round pick, but a lottery talent. And he’s a phenomenal perimeter defender, great point of attack defender, a bulldog. Um, he’s like 6’4, 6’5, but he’s really strong. um lays in the weeds, gets steals in the back court all the time, really good in the half court. So, I think that’s a name people aren’t really familiar with and I think he’ll get a lot of time guarding Jaylen Brunson. Um and I think he’ll play a pretty big role in this game. Okay, interesting. And so, is he So, but Connell has been in the starting rotation, right? So, with this with this lineup, so if we’re looking at the starting lineups, are you going to tell me that McDaniels would probably start off on on Brunson? I think he’d probably start on Brunson. Yeah. And I think inevitably what what’s going to happen is he’s gonna get into foul trouble or or when they start to make substitutions. I think Clark and then also TJ Shannon who’s a secondyear guy um was a five-year college guy was a rookie last year so he’s an older secondyear guy. Um he’s been spotty defensively but he’s a big kind of physical defender and I think he’ll get an opportunity. So if McDaniels gets into foul trouble early I think they go right to Jaylen Clark. Um if I if if if he doesn’t, I think the national substitution pattern as that happens, they’re not going to put Connley on Brunson. I’m sure the Knicks will try and get that switch. Um Connley has not been good defensively in a little while and so like teams were hunting that switch in the playoffs last year. I actually think that Connley’s decline defensively is a bigger issue than his decline offensively because teams will try and hunt that matchup, but he’s a good team defender if they can kind of hide him a little bit. Um so undoubtedly the Knicks will try and get Brunson going against Connelly. that Timberles will try and avoid that. McD besides Connley, the rest of their perimeter defenders are pretty switchable. So, I think McDaniel starts on Brunson, but I also think we see a lot of Jaylen Clark guarding him ultimately as well and and they’ll try and avoid Mike Connley getting involved in that matchup. Uh, of course, but you look, as you said, they’re the Knicks are going to try to get that switch. They’re trying to get that matchup. I’m very curious to see, you know, the rest of it. And look, for tomorrow, as of right now, uh there’s been no one reported for the Knicks on the injury report. So, I expect Mitchell Robinson to be in that starting rotation. So, you know, I’m expecting Mitch to match up with Goar. I’m expecting uh let’s see who else. If you’re gonna have Connelly out there, you probably put you probably put OG on Julius, I feel like, and put Cat on McDaniels or even Connelly for that matter. It’s going to be funky, man. Just watching how this team matches up. Put Brunson on probably McDaniels just for offensive purposes. Maybe even Dante. Yeah, it teams will honestly they’ll put their their worst defender on Connley and just let him play essentially free safety and sag off of him. And obviously Connley can still knock down threes. Um so that’s the danger if you do that. But everybody knows he’s not trying to attack the rim. So um you can kind of play with fire there if with with Connley because you know like you don’t want to give up a wideopen three but that’s really the only thing he’s trying to do offensively is move the ball and shoot threes. So um you could definitely do that. teams will also put, you know, a smaller defender on Rudy Gobear because they know that like the Wolves aren’t running plays for Gobear. He’s not they’re not running post ups for Gobear. Although he’s been more aggressive, the Timberwolves have been more aggressive throwing him lobs and that really started in the playoffs last year. And and yeah, Goar doesn’t have the best hands in the world. But I mean, you give the man enough lobbs, he’s going to get some dunks. He’s going to get to the free throw line. The fouls are going to are going to stack up. And the Wolves have basically said, “Look, if you’re going to try and put a small onar, we’re going to throw him lobs. He’s going to get going to get offensive boards.” And it’s been mostly effective. So now the Knicks, I don’t think our team that’s going to do that because of Mitchell Robinson, because of the size with Cat and everything. So I don’t know that we see that necessarily, but you might see it where you put the worst defender on on Connley and just kind of, you know, see what happens. Yeah. And that’s either going to be Brunson or Cat that you put out there. Maybe you put probably for high purposes, you put Brunson on Connelly and then you put Cat on McDaniels and then you’re going to have OG on Randall. You keep Mitch with with Goar and then you probably put Bridges on Dante. It’s just going to be the cat and the Brunson I guess dilemma of like which defender do you want on Connelly and I would probably say probably want a quicker guy still match up with Connelly. I don’t know just because he still is a guard and you don’t want to leave necessarily Cat on an island to you know get have a guard go past him. So maybe he put him on McDaniels and just let him use his wingspan just try to keep up with that. And McDaniel’s not necessarily you know a lethal offensive threat. Not saying that Connelly is, but Connelly a little bit more of a dangerous offensive threat than McDaniels is. Yeah, I I I would have said that, you know, certainly 12 months ago. I mean, right now, like if Connley gets past somebody, it’s to create a shot for somebody else. Like he he will not shoot the ball at the rim unless he absolutely has to. Jade McDaniels on the flip side, um I I was as hard on him as anybody last couple years because I thought offensively he needed to give them more and he has, especially since Ant since Ant has been out. So if Ant does come back, then the question is like what is, you know, what’s Jaden’s role look like? But McDaniels is averaging almost 19 a game. He had 20 plus 22 or something like that against uh Brooklyn on Monday. He’s shooting 46% from three. Like McDaniels has actually been really assertive offensively and and been trying to get to the rim. He shoots this weird little like leaner. Um it’s almost like a Kevin Durant fall away when he gets to like 10 12 feet and it’s unblockable because he’s 611 and he he’s like parallel to the floor when he shoots it. So McDaniels is actually a little bit more of a weapon than he ever has been in the past. Um and and if he’s going right, it adds another element to the Wolves offense. On the flip side, he gets into foul trouble a lot. So that that’s the other thing is if he’s guarding Brunson and he’s having to go hard on both ends and then he gets into foul trouble, then that’s going to limit his effectiveness on offense then as well. Yeah, I can see that happening. It’s going to be interesting how the defensive matchup plays out for tomorrow’s game. You know, when I’m looking more at the numbers of this the these teams and seeing who does what, it’s actually funny when you look at the pace. Actually, both the Knicks and the and the Timberwolves are like right there when it comes to pace of play. Uh Timberwolves are 22nd. Knicks are 23rd. Both at with uh 99. Timberwolves are just 99.09 when it comes to pace of play. And then uh Knicks are 99.06. So, won’t be too much of uh guys just run up up and down the court, but should be should be a good battle physical battle nonetheless. But when you’re starting to look deeper into these into these two teams and like what they like to do, I’m looking forward to see how it comes to battling in the paint because look, I know there’s there’s one thing that Julius likes to do is that it’s to get downhill and so does Joe and Brunson and they’re trying to create easier looks around there. Now, when it comes to the Timberwolves, they are in the middle of the pack when it comes to uh points in the paint. They are 15th right now. Knicks, uh they’ve been very hot from shooting from downtown as of late. So, they haven’t really had to get to down into the paint as much. So, they are 28th, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not going to try to get downhill as much as possible because what Mike Brown has been preaching is to get the paint touches to generate uh threes, but if the shots there, they’re going to take the shot. Yeah. Um the the Timberwolves have done a pretty good job defending the paint at le I mean, it’s tough. The last two games were Brooklyn and Charlotte, which are not teams that are going to kill you inside or really at all. I mean, Charlotte’s a good offensive team, but neither of them are like going to going to kill you in the paint, so it’s tough to really kind of and they’ve played Denver, who’s obviously incredible in the paint. Um, so it’s tough. I I think Minnesota overall has been pretty good at defending the paint. The problem has been on the perimeter and and and allowing penetration. Goar is still a really good rim protector. Jade McDaniels, what the Wolves would like to do is treat him as a free safety and just allow him to roam and help side block shots. I don’t know that if Ants out, they can’t really afford to do that, especially against the Knicks with the guys on the perimeter between Brunson and and Clarkson and Bridges and guys that can score off the dribble, even Anobi like um I don’t think I don’t think you can get away with that with McDaniels against the Knicks. So, um yeah, I mean it’s really just go bear and like Nas Reed is a decent switchable defender. He’s much better than he used to be, but he’s not a traditional shot blocker and obviously Julius Randle’s not either. So, um, points in the paint are are an area and again I mentioned offensive rebounding. That’s an area that would concern me for the Wolves. Um, so that’s that’s something to keep an eye on is overall scoring in the paint whether it is second chance points or simply off of penetration um where the Wolves can’t contain and and then they they can score because Gobear is really the only guy back there besides McDaniels that’s going to block shots. And then on the flip side, the Timberwolves are are um like you said, middle of the pack points to the paint. Again, if Ant plays, that changes because he gets into the paint more often. He creates more opportunities. If he doesn’t, it’s really just like what McDaniels can give you and then what Julius Randle can give you. And that’s kind of it. Um there’s like Nas scores in the paint a little bit, but he’d rather shoot threes and and they’re not like that’s one of the things is they have to they have to generate more opportunities at the free throw line and they haven’t been great at it so far. So points in the paint is definitely something to keep an eye on in this game. Yeah. And look, when you talk about second chance opportunities, as you mentioned, the Knicks right now are 13th. Now, granted, Mitch hasn’t been healthy to play every single game, but he’s a big factor as to how the Knicks do get their second chance opportunities. Not saying that Hart and Towns haven’t done their fair share, while Mitch has missed some games, but Mitch is a big factor for just getting a lot of offensive rebounds. It wasn’t too long ago uh prior to him missing most of last season year prior to that he was in the top top of the league before he got injured when he came to offensive rebounding. Him and uh Steven ABS were just leading the leagues one and two damn near tied for a little bit just trying to get offensive boards. So if Mitch is Mitch should be playing tomorrow because there’s no no one’s on the injury report for the Knicks. I do expect the Knicks to try to take advantage of that if they’re not hitting their shots. Now, the next thing I want to talk about is fast break points. Now, we already mentioned the pace of play. It’s going to be slow, but when it comes to getting out in transition and getting easy buckets, both these teams are in the basement when it comes to getting out there and scoring in transition. The Knicks are tied for 21st. They’re in a one, two, three, four-way tie when it comes to scoring in transition, which is they’re averaging, what’s the number right here? 13.9 points per game. Timberwolves are 28th right now with 12.7. So both of these teams, as we’ve talked about, are not going to get out there and run. But I feel like the the breaking factor for this game is who gets the easy points in scoring out in transition. Not saying that these teams can’t do it, but you know, as of late, the Knicks have won their last two games against Chicago and Washington because they did finally get out there and start to score over 20 plus points out in transition, making it easier on themselves to win games. Yeah. and and the Wolves have now for the last like three years really since Goar came to Minnesota under Chris Finch um the the Timberwolves don’t run very much at all in transition but when they do they’re really good and they really don’t run after after rebounds they run a little bit after steals um like if you look at at some of the numbers on like cleaning the glass like the frequency of running after steals after forcing opponent turnovers is actually decently high um but they don’t do enough of forcing opponent turnovers either they don’t gamble a lot as a defense which is a good thing overall that they I think they leave points on the table on the offensive end because they aren’t aggressive enough trying to generate steals and turn them into points and they don’t run enough off of opponent misses. So, I agree with that. I mean, like Minnesota’s middle of the pack so far this season, as are the Knicks in terms of forcing opponent turnovers. They’re they’re both like hovering around that that midway or midpoint across the NBA in terms of forcing opponent turnovers. And if one team does that better than the other, if one team’s sloppier than the other offensively and allows there to be more fast break opportunities, that could be a big difference in a game that’s probably going to be pretty close. Um, so again, without Ant, like the offense, in theory, the offense should be you should need to generate easier, more easy offense by creating turnovers and then running. Um, but the offense has actually been really good the last few games, albeit against really bad defenses. But the overall ball movement has been great. Um, not saying that like I’m not at all like nobody hear me say that the Wolves are like better on offense without Ant, but not having Ant means they’ve had to be better at moving the basketball and Julius has had to do some different stuff and it’s gone really well against some bad defenses. That could change against a good defensive team like the Knicks. So again, more opportunities in transition are are are better and the Timberwolves as a team have overall been okay defending in transition. Um, but it’s not consistent. I mean, it’s kind of like the defensive rebound and it really just depends on the night. They’re either great at it or they’re not and there’s not a whole lot of in between. So, it’s a bit of a dice roll. Um, and so whichever team can force more turnovers and then capitalize on that on the fast break, I think is going to have a big edge in this game. These teams sound very similar, Ben. These teams sound very similar. But once again, we’re all have to see how it unfolds for tomorrow. But there is one big matchup that I’m looking at. And the big match up in this one, the key matchup, as I like to say, is between Carl Anthony Towns and Julius Randle. Now, both these guys not known for their defense, but they are both known for their offense. So, it’s either going to be fireworks or burken shots cuz look, cat had his finally had his first good game yesterday against the Washington Wizards. He dropped 33. He dropped a yuing on him and so look, if he could continue to show that he’s in a good rhythm because he has been dealing with a quad injury since the start of the season. He made the comments of saying, you know, he’s still trying to figure out how he fits into this Mike Brown offensive system. Like, he needs to come out rolling tomorrow because he’s a big reason as to why the Knicks are going to have success this year. And we know what he can do. We know he can shoot the threes. We know he likes to drive to get to the cup. We know he has he’s not the greatest post uh player, but he can work the post when given the opportunity. So, we know he’s going to try to get uh his when it where he sees it fit. Now, Julius, we know what Julius is as well. That man is uh you know, you you talk about he’s not the greatest three-point shooter, but he can be a three-level score depending on the night. He is the playmaker. He is a point forward. Uh and you know, he’s going to be trying to create for that team and create for himself as well. So, going to be very interesting watching these two guys lead their teams to victory. Yeah, going to be interesting to see how much they match up. I know we were trying to figure that out earlier, like how much they actually go at each other. I mean last year uh the first game was at Target Center and Towns had a big I think he had a 3020 game and Rando was good too but it was like a Knicks blowout win and then when the Wolves won at MSG in in January um I I think Cat missed the game. I think Dvenenzo missed the game. I think Julius Randle had like a single digit scoring night. So it was weird. The Wolves won that one pretty easily. So both matchups were kind of kind of strange last year. Um I you know I was worried about Randall trying to do too much when he went to Madison Square Garden last year as a visitor for the first time and it was kind of the opposite. He he wasn’t super aggressive. No, he wasn’t. It was he was like a decoy out there almost. Yeah, it was like he was trying to like he was like that in his very first game at a uniform. It was at the Lakers and it was like the same thing like he was afraid to step on toes which doesn’t sound like Judith Randle at all. Um so curious to see what that looks like. I mean he’s been very aggressive recently. He’s been playing awesome like we talked about. So, I think he will be aggressive, especially if there’s no Anthony Edwards. Um, and I would expect the same from Cat. And, uh, you know, it should be a lot of fun. I mean, I do think, um, the Knicks are a better defensive team than Minnesota. They’re both pretty good offensive teams and and certainly have very high ceilings offensively. So, I think it could be a high-scoring game. I think it could be a even though neither team plays really fast. But, um, I think that the defensive struggles of Minnesota and and hopefully the the the offensive firepower that’s been showing up a little bit with Randall McDaniels will will help Minnesota to uh to a pretty good offensive night as well. So, hoping that we get to see some Randall and Cat, you know, match up against each other. That that should be a lot of fun at at the Garden. These two, you know, they’re both from they both went to Kentucky, so they they both got a chip on their shoulder when they face each other. And even prior to these guys being traded when Randall was a Nick and Towns was a T-Wolf, like they’d still want to compete and show who’s the better product out of Kentucky. So, I’m expecting to still see that, you know, that matchup continue, uh, even though they’ve swapped jerseys. Now, getting to the last topic before we wrap, who’s your X factor for tomorrow? So, who’s your X-factor for the T- Wolves, Ben? Um, I’m gonna go with I want to go with So, well, I don’t know. I I guess I’ll go with Jay McDaniels. I was gonna say Jaylen Clark, but he’s not going to score enough for that to like really pop on the stat sheet. Um, I think Jade McDaniels has got to be him because if he stays out of foul trouble, um, that’s huge for the Timber defense. And it’s also big for their offense, especially if Ant doesn’t play. And people don’t know him as a scorer. And to this point in his career, he hasn’t been a scorer. He was the fourth option last year. really a couple years ago he’s the fifth option in the starting lineup like Gob Bear was was really getting more opportunities than him Connley and now he’s with Ant out he’s the number two guy after Julius Randle as a scorer and uh like like he’s going to get the he’s going to have the ball in his hands as much as Dante Denzo in the half court and he’s got to stay out of foul trouble and he’s also got to defend well and then he’s got to knock down the open shots when he gets them be aggressive offensively and and he’s not a guy that most people think of when it comes to the Timberwolves offense and understandably so. So, I think I think it’s going to be McDaniels in this game. Um, and uh really on both ends of the floor. So, you’re going with McDaniels as your X-factor. I’m going to go with Josh Hart as my X-factor for for tomorrow’s game. And some people say, Alex, you know, Josh Hart is typically an X-factor for most of the next tenure. And I hear that. But last season, he was a mainstay. You could kind of you could kind of guess or or predict what he was going to give you. You know, he had a lot of triple doubles last year. provides some solid defense, was a playmaker, gave you some decent scoring last year as well for being a role player in that in this Knicks system, but for this season, dealing with his injuries, you know, especially with the knee, the finger that’s crooked, uh coming from a back like uh what was it? Back soreness uh after like for the preseason against the the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s battling through a lot of injuries right now. So, and you see it every time he gets up after, you know, hustling and diving on the deck trying to fight for a loose ball or whatever. He’s coming back grimacing. Even after a hard screen, he’s like grimacing after every single contact. So, you see he’s dealing with some pain. But the last two games after having a poor game against the Chicago Bulls, the first match up against the Bulls, he’s bounced back these last two games and has provided the Josh Hart roll. He had a double double last night. He’s getting you he’s getting you good scoring, attacking out in transition, being a playmaker, playing some solid defense. He won defensive player of the game as as Mike Brown has now implemented for this team. So, these guys got a hard hat and some Tims that they get to rock around their necks after uh after a game to show who who had the best defense. So, Josh Hart is starting to get back into doing Josh Hart things. And I feel like for to tomorrow’s game where rebounding is going to be a big thing, playing defense is just screaming like, yo, you’re going to need somebody else outside of OG and Bridges to do something. You’re gonna have to win the possession battle, grabbing some boards. That sounds like a Josh Hart game to me, man. So, I’m going to go with Josh Hart as my X-Factor for tomorrow’s game. I like it. So, there Yeah. So, there we have it. So, we got McDaniels and Josh Hart as the X Factors. Should be a good one, man. I’m looking forward to it. Ben, I appreciate you coming through and and breaking down this game with me, my man. Absolutely. Appreciate you having me. Of course. Please let the people know where they can find you. If you got any work up and coming, we should be on the lookout for. Yeah. Locked on Wolves, wherever we listen to podcasts, YouTube, everything. Um, and then on on X at BB Beacon with two B’s, two E, CKN. Um, all things Timberwolves, we we do five shows a week. And uh, yeah, that’s that’s uh that’s where you can find me. There you go. There you have it. Make sure to follow Ben. He does phenomenal work covering the Timberwolves. So, make sure to go give him a follow on all socials and go check out his show. And yo, Nick Nation and even T-Wolves Nation, I know some of you in here right now checking us out. Make sure you hit that thumbs up button for your boy. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already done so. Okay, appreciate you all for coming through. Shout out to all the franchise channel members that were in here. Let me give you guys a shout out. We got Don Q89 in here. I see Will Rose in here. Shout out to you as well. I know I saw John Tento in here earlier. We got Vic from the thigh. Shout out to you. We got Ray Noble. Shout out to you as well. We got Flo 1742. Appreciate you for being in here. Appreciate all you for tapping in for a game of the week. Pre getting ready for this New York Knicks team to face the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. So, make sure to tune into that. Make sure to get ready for the shows that we got for tomorrow as well. We got playbyplay. We got postgame as always. So, make sure to tap in for that. 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New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game Of The Week Preview Show

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