All it took was two Minnesota Timberwolves practices to make LaMelo Ball look like the floor general the team hoped they were getting when they traded for Ball this summer.
The timing of the practices was key — rare back-to-back sessions the team was able to conduct because they had three days off in the middle of a Timberwolves’ record eight-game homestand. For the first time since Anthony Edwards‘ surgery, the team had a chance to step back, take a breath, and work on how they want to play in Edwards’ absence.
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Assistant coach Paolo Prigioni told the media that the Wolves “really took advantage of these two days” of practice, and it showed, particularly in Ball’s play Thursday. He finished with 22 points and a season-high nine assists as the Wolves throttled a good Dallas team 133-94.
LaMelo Ball Controlled the Game From the Opening Tip
On the Mavericks’ first possession, 15 seconds after the opening tip, Ball found Jonathan Kuminga for a layup on a textbook pick-and-roll. Whether that was a set play from the Timberwolves’ practices or not, it seemed to get Ball going.
In the next two minutes, Ball found Kuminga and Jaden McDaniels for dunks, then hit a three-pointer. He finished with six threes on the night, but this game was more about his playmaking than his shotmaking.
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Ball has had big scoring nights in his 12 games with Minnesota, including a 34-point performance in a Nov. 2 win over Milwaukee. But he had never had more than eight assists before Thursday. Against Dallas, he had eight in the first half and finished with nine despite sitting most of the second half and playing just 25 minutes total.
Ball didn’t need those two Timberwolves’ practices to improve as a scorer — he gets plenty of shots up on his own time. He needed the Timberwolves’ practices to improve his chemistry and connection with his teammates, and step up as a playmaker in the wake of Edwards’ injury.
The Ball-Gobert Connection Showed Signs of Life
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and guard LaMelo Ball (1) enjoy a moment after a break from action with the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Ball also showed an improved connection with Rudy Gobert on Thursday, a development that’s incredibly important to the Timberwolves moving forward. One of the team’s aspirations in acquiring Ball was to unlock the 7-foot-1 Gobert as a lob threat like he was in Utah.
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The early returns on that have not been great. The timing between Ball and Gobert has looked off, and the combination of Ball’s penchant for quick, no-look passes and Gobert’s iffy hands has led to many balls sailing out of bounds.
There was one of those Thursday, as Ball fired a pass that went right between Gobert’s big mitts early in the game. But after that, Ball and Gobert connected on two lobs — one that Gobert dunked emphatically with two hands and another that he laid in softly.
Improving those lobs was likely a focus in the Timberwolves’ practices because, with Edwards out, they need more scoring from Gobert. He finished with just nine points on Thursday, but, like Ball, he played limited minutes in the blowout win. On a per-minute basis, his production was encouraging.
The Last Word
The way Ball got everyone going against Dallas was contagious, and six Timberwolves scored in double figures. They had 33 assists on 52 made baskets as a team and shot 58% from the field. By almost every metric, it was their top offensive performance of the season.
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Videos of practices have shown the Timberwolves’ chemistry, including a recent one in which Edwards cut up with his teammates despite being on crutches. Having a couple of days to get together and work on things seems to have only made this 9-3 team better and solidified Ball’s place as the team’s offensive leader with Ant out.
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Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
