On Andrew Wiggins, Luol Deng, and the young Kings
Monday’s Wolves-Kings contest was a critical game for the Western Conference playoff picture. A Kings victory would give them the tiebreaker over the Timberwolves while essentially burying Minnesota.
Sacramento jumped out to a 13-point lead early on before Minnesota rallied back behind Karl-Anthony Towns to take a 17-point second half lead. The Kings would make it close late in the game but the Wolves’ dueling point-guard threat of Tyus Jones and Derrick Rose combined for 13 fourth-quarter points to put the game away for good.
The Kings now sit one game back of the Spurs for the eighth seed. With two games separating the Lakers and Wolves from the Kings, conference record becomes significant. Los Angeles is .500 against the West this season, making them the team to avoid tying for both Sacramento and Minnesota.
Monday’s victory moved the Wolves to 18–23 versus the West and dropped the Kings to 17–22. Every game against the West matters as long as these teams aren’t mathematically eliminated.
Regardless, each of the team’s currently in the top-eight of the Western Conference standings has a winning record within the conference. It’s one reason why you’ve felt better about San Antonio’s odds because they’ve been proficient both at home and against their conference.
Here are a few observations from last night.
Positive takeaways from Andrew Wiggins’ performance
Let’s be clear: Andrew Wiggins did not have a great game last night. Wiggins shot 3-for-10 from the field and 1-for-7 on 3-pointers with three turnovers, two free throw attempts, and just three rebounds. He did throw out five assists but it felt like he should have been more of a difference maker.
With that said, there was actually a lot to like about the three baskets Wiggins actually made. This is because they’re many of the same things that many of us have been harping on him to do since his rookie season.
Driving layup
Transition layup
If you were wondering if the length and athleticism of the Kings was bothering Wiggins last night, the answer appears to be no. Here Wiggins shows that, physically, he can compete with just about anyone. In both plays, he drives through multiple defenders to create good looks for himself at the rim.
There is no reason for a player like this to have just two free throw attempts in a game. He should be able to get to the rim or the line every time he drives or cuts like this. He’s far too talented for that steady diet of midrange jumpers.
Catch-and-shoot 3-pointer
What’s sad here is how open Wiggins is even before Towns drives to the rim. Buddy Hield was paying closer attention to Josh Okogie than Barnes was supposed to be paying to Wiggins and he’s all the way under the basket. At any rate, Towns throws the pass over the defense to Wiggins in the corner who simply cans the shot.
If Wiggins modified his shot selection to plays like these — cuts, drives to the basket, and catch-and-shoot shots — he would be a much more valuable player. When those plays aren’t there, he can set up others, as evidenced by his five assists.
The young Kings are fun
Whether or not this Kings team makes the playoffs, it’s easy to like where they seem to be heading.
Buddy Hield is a deft 3-point shooter whose energy is endless and uses it to do other things like grab eight rebounds as he did on Monday night.
De-Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, Harry Giles, and Willie Caulie-Stein create a lineup that is lanky, athletic and likes to run. Being talented also helps.
Should Sacramento keep this nucleus together, it’s easy to imagine them returning to sustained relevance in the near future after the misery of the last 13 or 14 years.
Wolves should consider re-signing Luol Deng
No one had many expectations for Luol Deng when he signed in Minnesota last summer. Despite few known injuries, Deng hardly played during his Lakers tenure, something that the forward was displeased with at media day.
In the 21 games Deng played before Monday, he had grabbed 10.7 percent of available rebounds, 6.7 percent of the team’s assists, and made 50 percent of his shots. Deng has also averaged a respectable 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 18.3 minutes per game.
Many people don’t like plus/minus in the NBA for small samples and for good reason but don’t you see Deng’s +11 and Wiggins’ -7 after watching last night and nod your head in agreement? The Wolves are +13.4 on the season when Deng is on the floor.
You saw on Monday that he can still move, driving to the rim and rotating to block shots. The soon-to-be-34-year-old appears well-suited for a role like this. If it takes another minimum deal to bring him back for another season, why not?
