The Minnesota Timberwolves surprised a few people when they acquired former franchise legend Kevin Garnett at the trade deadline. The Timberwolves are supposed to be young a team that’s rebuilding, so acquiring someone a 38-years-old veteran who is in the twilight of their career and making $12 million may seem like an empty move to sell some tickets. However, Garnett offers the Timberwolves a whole lot more than just potential revenue. Here are the three things the legend will bring to the table for the young and improving T-Wolves:
He’s Going To Play Next Year, Not Just This One
It is true that Garnett is nearing the end of his career and that he doesn’t have too much longer to play in the NBA. However, he has said that he’s going to be with the Timberwolves not just through the end of this season but into the next one too. Having Garnett around for a full offseason can give Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, and other valuable players a chance to learn how to play defense better, to compete better, and to work together at a higher level. He’s not just an expensive rental.
Garnett will be the best thing in years for a Minnesota club that has needed cohesiveness at both ends of the court but has generally lacked it. Kevin Love was a really good solo flyer who could amass stats on his own, but he really didn’t integrate the rest of the team into a better group. Love didn’t get much help, but Garnett is a different kind of player. He won’t rack up stats, but he’ll provide more leadership and guidance, and he’ll be a second coach on the floor. His experience is something that the young bucks will learn from and this will really improve Minnesota in ways that can’t be appreciated right now with the team at 13-43.
Defense
The virtue of Garnett at this point in his career is not his offense but his defense. We’re talking about a Timberwolves team that doesn’t know the first thing about defense right now as they’re giving up 105.8 points per game, which ranks them 29th in the NBA. Only the hapless Los Angeles Lakers are giving up more points per outing. Garnett is not the defensive stalwart he once was but he still brings the intensity at that end and is averaging a steal per game and 0.3 blocks. That’s pretty good considering he’s only played 20.3 minutes per game this season.
We saw his impact in his debut with Minnesota as he was able to disrupt a lot of shots and block a few for the Timberwolves in their win over Washington. In 19 minutes, he had a pair of blocks and a steal. Powered by Garnett’s energy, the T-Wolves won that game not with offense – they scored only 97 points – but with their defense by holding Washington to just 77 points. Garnett’s awareness of how to play low-post scorers, how to be in the right position with the right body angle, will improve Minnesota a ton at the defensive end.
Excitement And Improved Morale In The Locker Room
This is the player who is loved by more Timberwolves fans than any other. Garnett received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Minneapolis as a member of the T-Wolves on Wednesday might before a game against the Washington Wizards. Garnett first made himself as an NBA player with the T-Wolves, guiding the team to its only appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2004. He brings a wave of good feeling to the organization – especially since Kevin Love, the previous iconic player to play with the Wolves, was openly critical of the organization before he was dealt to Cleveland in the transaction that brought Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota. Garnett will make players feel better. He’ll do the same for fans, and he’ll do so for the franchise as a whole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6G3aNE9rfo
While he’s not part of the long term plan, he’s part of the bridge that can help this team go from the basement of the NBA to the main floor. First it was Ricky Rubio that brought the franchise some hope, then the additions of Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett spurred optimism and now the return of Garnett kicks it up a notch. While he was wasting away in Brooklyn, he’ll be a vital member for the Timberwolves for the remainder of his career.
