Derik Queen's historic night + Timberwolves lose focus

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – December 9, 2025

Episode: Derik Queen’s Historic Night + Timberwolves Lose Focus
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Kada
Guest: John Krasinski

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced recap episode focuses on two main stories: the rookie sensation Derik Queen’s historic performance in the Spurs-Pelicans game, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ surprising lack of focus in a loss to the Devin Booker-less Phoenix Suns. Injury updates, team chemistry questions, and implications for both teams going forward are discussed with real insight, wit, and stat-savvy analysis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Franz Wagner Injury Update

[02:30]

• Previous speculation that the Orlando Magic were “cursed” with injuries proved premature; Franz Wagner’s injury is just a high ankle sprain, expected absence of 2–4 weeks rather than a season-threatening issue.
• Jalen Suggs is also cleared to play.

  “Thank goodness for Franz Wagner.” — Zena Kada [03:15]
  Tone: Relief mixed with good-natured apology from Dave for his earlier pessimism.

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2. Derik Queen’s Record-Breaking Night

[03:49] - [06:58]

• Queen put up a historic stat line: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 blocks as a rookie center.

• This makes him:

  • First rookie in NBA history to have at least 33/10/10/4 in a game.
  • First rookie center ever to have a 30-point triple double.
  • Only the 8th player ever with that stat line—joining LeBron, Jokic, David Robinson, Michael Jordan, and others.
  • Set a record for most assists by a center in their first 25 games since the ABA/NBA merger.

  “Derrick Queen joins a list… LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, David Robinson, Michael Jordan... That’s not a bad list to be a part of. And this guy is a rookie.” — Dave DuFour [04:33]

  “First rookie NBA history to have the stat line that he did last night... he is doing surreal things.” — Zena Kada [05:07]

• Analysis:

  • Queen’s poise vs. doubles and elite passing vision were praised, particularly his feel in finding corner shooters and breaking down defenses off the dribble.
  • The league is in a new era with centers as offensive hubs.
  • Some say his size is deceiving, underestimating his quick feet and overall agility.
  • Queen’s passing will become a handle-on-scouting issue for opponents going forward.

  “He is really good.” — Zena Kada [06:58]

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3. Spurs’ Depth and Rookie Returns

[06:58] - [10:07]

• Stephen Castle returned from injury, showing immediate impact but leading to lineup and minutes questions.

• Dylan Harper provided a scoring punch off the bench (22 points).

• Julian Champagnie surprised with 17 points in extended minutes.

• Zena expresses concern: With Castle and eventually Wembanyama back, who gets squeezed (e.g., Devin Vassell’s touches dropped markedly)?

• Harrison Barnes’ expanded role and minutes—likely to shrink when Wemby returns.

• Overarching issue: Spurs now have a “bevy of riches.” Allocation of shots/minutes will be a “good problem” but a real challenge.

  “There’s too many mouths to feed... I’m just very curious as to what the competition is going to look like for that backcourt and the competition for shots.” — Zena Kada [10:07]

• Dave compares the problem to OKC’s: “You look and you’re just like, wow, you guys have too much talent. How does everyone play?” [10:39]

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4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Loss of Focus & Playoff Mindset

[15:27] - [29:20]
With special guest John Krasinski

Game Recap & Team Critique

• Wolves lose to a scrappy, Booker-less Suns, with Colin Gillespie starring unexpectedly.

• Big issue: Lack of focus and urgency, especially against inferior/undermanned teams.

• Chris Finch previously highlighted “defense and focus” as needs; neither improved.

  “They have allowed that lack of star power that they’re playing against to dull their senses.” — John Krasinski [16:16]

  “It feels like a team that just wants to fast forward through the boring stuff and get to the exciting stuff.” — John Krasinski [18:13]

• Stat anomaly: Wolves are top 10 in most key categories, but let bad offensive teams explode on them (e.g., 142 points to Pelicans).

Playoff Hangover & Habits

• Wolves’ “Western Conference Finals twice” experience is possibly making them bored with the regular season.
• This could cost them home court or drop them into the play-in—a risk in a competitive West.

“It may cost you... a home court advantage to maybe a six seed... literally playing with fire.” — John Krasinski [18:13]

Rudy Gobert’s Ejection & Team Leadership

• Gobert was having a great game until an ejection for a retaliatory dirty elbow—now one flagrant point away from suspension.

• This incident is seen as anti-championship culture; leadership lapse at a key moment.

  “He retaliates... absolutely dirty play. Gets ejected and now he sits with five flagrant foul points...” — Dave DuFour [20:05] “For a veteran leader... to make that mistake in that moment... it was incredibly disappointing.” — John Krasinski [21:45]

Clutch Situation: Edwards & McDaniels

• With game on the line, Edwards (off a 40-point night) gives final shot to Jaden McDaniels (1-7 shooting).

• Analysis: This is both a symptom of trying to be less predictable but, on that night, possibly the wrong choice.

  “You like that he did trust Jaden... but the Suns really did try to load up as much as they could on him and make someone else beat them.” — John Krasinski [24:37]

• Praise for Suns’ effort: “A team that is playing better than the sum of their parts, and the Wolves... not played up to the sum of its parts yet.” — John Krasinski [25:24]

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5. Quarter-Season Timberwolves Grades & Outlook

[25:57] - [29:20]

• Where do the Wolves stand? 6th seed seems fair, but with their continuity and talent, it feels more like underachievement.

• High expectations due to a core that’s been together and continuity from last year.

• There’s belief the Wolves can still coalesce and peak by playoff time; they’ve done it before.

• No panic, but the clock is ticking for urgency and consistency.

  “It feels more like they’ve underachieved at 15 and 9... and yet... a couple games back from the four seed. By no means a disaster.” — John Krasinski [27:35] “We know what they can be at their peak—it’s just that they don’t seem to hit it as often as we want them to..." — Dave DuFour [28:28]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Derik Queen’s Historic Night
  “He is doing surreal things.” — Zena Kada [05:07]
  “He is really good.” — Zena Kada [06:58]

• On Timberwolves’ Attitude:
  “They have allowed that lack of star power that they’re playing against to dull their senses.” — John Krasinski [16:16]
  “It feels like a team that just wants to fast forward through the boring stuff and get to the exciting stuff.” — John Krasinski [18:13]

• Gobert’s Ejection:
  “He retaliates...absolutely dirty play. Gets ejected and now he sits with five flagrant foul points…” — Dave DuFour [20:05]
  “...for a veteran leader… to make that mistake in that moment… it was incredibly disappointing.” — John Krasinski [21:45]

• Edwards’ Unselfish Pass:
  “You like that he did trust Jaden... but the Suns really did try to load up as much as they could on him and make someone else beat them.” — John Krasinski [24:37]

• On the West:
  “...right in that 6 range is probably deserved for the Wolves. At the start of the season... I would have said, man, that’s really good... but it’s actually more of a left handed compliment than anything else right now...” — John Krasinski [26:33]

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Key Timestamps

• [02:30] – Franz Wagner injury update: "only" a high ankle sprain
• [03:49] - [06:58] – Derik Queen’s historic performance (stat lines, context, implications)
• [06:58] - [10:39] – Spurs lineup depth, Stefan Castle’s return, who loses minutes?
• [15:27] - [29:20] – John Krasinski on Wolves: lack of regular-season urgency, Gobert’s leadership, clutch play decision-making, team grades and projections

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Takeaway

• Derik Queen’s rise as a historic rookie signals a new generation of skilled, playmaking bigs and a potential franchise superstar for the Pelicans.
• The Spurs boast a unique problem: too much young talent to keep happy—a luxury and a challenge as stars return from injury.
• The Timberwolves remain a sleeping giant, but their lack of focus, lapses in discipline, and excessive regular-season boredom threaten to derail their chances in a loaded Western Conference unless their stars and leaders—on and off the court—tighten up the habits and set a playoff mentality now.

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For full breakdowns, stats, and deep analysis, read John Krasinski at The Athletic and tune in for more NBA Daily recaps.

Transcript

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[Andrew Schlecht]

Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. The NBA on Prime is back with an exciting week of Emirates cup action. The knockout rounds start with quarterfinal doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Then the quest for the cup heads to Vegas for a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday. And it all culminates with the championship game next Tuesday night. I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the NBA cup and the drama that it provides. I'm telling you, players really want to win this thing and if you don't respect the Cup, I don't know what you're doing. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA cup coverage continues this week only on prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 9, 2025. I'm Dave Defora here with Zena Kada. Coming up, Franz Wagner. Injury news is not so bad. We're going to talk about that a little bit. Derek Queen had a big night, but Stephen Castle was back and the spurs got the win. And John Krasinski is here to talk about the Wolves latest loss and what's going on with their foreign.

Everybody. Hey Xena, how about what up Dave? Those spurs last night, how about that game? That was a fun game.

[Zena Kada]

It was a fun game. A lot of back and forth. Didn't love the Pels being able to put up that many points on the spurs, but well, it was a good, entertaining game.

[Dave Dufour]

They are Mr. Missing Victor Women. Yama. We'll get to that in a second.

Yesterday I need to, I need to actually apologize, Zena, because on yesterday's show I, I talked about the Orlando Magic being cursed. And it was a very negative kind of mood around Franz Wagner's injury. It looked really bad and we didn't really have any news on it. So I just, you know, I was thinking the worst. Well, we got some good news, Xena. On Monday, we found out Franz Wagner only has a high ankle sprain, which I know that's a funny thing to say, like, hey, this is good news. But it does mean he's not going to miss significant amount of time. He's gonna be out two to four weeks. So we dodged one there. And Jalen Suggs not on the injury report for the NBA cup game tonight. So so far, so good for the Magic.

[Zena Kada]

Absolutely. I mean, avoiding a major injury to Franz is everything that you could imagine good for the Magic, right? I mean, they were doing some, some magic of their own, hoping that they didn't have a repeat of literally all of the, I don't want to say casualties because that feels so tough, but all of the absences they have from their stars. So it's great that he'll be back on the floor. Great to see. Nothing serious with Jalen Suggs and Paolo. Ben Caro has a little bit time to get acclimated before his teammate, his compadre, joins him out on the floor again. So good news down in Orlando. Thank goodness for Franz Wagner.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, we talked a little bit on the show when we were discussing the Lakers and Spurs NBA cup game that's coming up. That the spurs have been banged up. Right. Dylan Harper was out for a while, just came back. Stephen Castle returned last night to the starting lineup for the Spurs. He was pretty good. I mean, you know, like down the stretch he didn't shoot the ball well, but I thought he was effective down the stretch. Had had a big three, had a nice put back dunk. But, but Zena, look, we, I thought we were going to be talking about the return of Castle, but instead we're talking about the Queen. Derek Queen was ridiculous. And I. We don't often start with the best player in, in a loss, but man, he was something else last night. 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 blocks. Shout out to a friend of the program, Keith Parish, he dropped this stat jerk. Derek Queen joins a list of eight players now that have ever recorded 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocks. The list is ridiculous. Okay, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Ralph Sampson and Alvin Adams. That's not a bad list to be a part of. And this guy is a rookie Right.

[Zena Kada]

First rookie NBA history to have the stat line that he did last night. It was his first triple double. And he's the first rookie center in NBA history to have a 30 point or 30 or more, which he had with 33 point triple double. He is doing surreal things. Another thing I found out that was crazy was that in his first 25 games, Derrick Queen has the most amount of assists of any center since the NBA and ABA merged in his first 25 games. So, wow. Apparently Nikola Jokic in his first 25 games as a center his rookie year did not do that well.

[Dave Dufour]

We get the same opportunities. I mean, this Derek Queen has kind of forced their hand here, Zena.

[Zena Kada]

That's true.

[Dave Dufour]

I was watching this game and every single time the spurs sent a double, he just had so much poise, right? Including like down the stretch, I mean.

[Zena Kada]

Down the stretch, finding shooters to Trae Murphy in the corner.

[Dave Dufour]

That's right.

[Zena Kada]

I mean, there's so many opportunities. And we're seeing, we're seeing this change now, right, of more centers becoming the hubs of offenses. And that's exactly what Derrick Queen has showcased, that he has the proficiency to do one because he has a handle. If the case that something shuts down or breaks down, he could take guys off the dribble from the top of the key, which is great. And I think people underestimate him because of his size, his stature. People are not, are not, aren't aware of how quick his feet actually move with the ball in hand. But then again, it's the ability to see so well, I would imagine. Now he's already at the top of people scouting reports, but now that his passing ability is going to be a highlighted portion of that, I'm sure more folks are going to be a little bit more in his face. He had a lot of space from Luke Cornett tonight, more space than he should have probably gotten. Be able to get some of those passes off. But overall, go ahead. Derek Queen, like, he is really good.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, listen, this. The trade that the Pelicans pulled off to get Derek Queen is going to taint everyone's opinion of Derrick Queen. And really, maybe we should start saying they should have just taken Derek Queen with that first pick instead of Fierce. And then we can hammer them for the trade and blame it on Fierce because Derek Queen looks like a real player and obviously I think they've handed the keys to him. Let's swing back to the Spurs. They get the win, they're starting to get more healthy. I mean, maybe Wimby's coming back soon. You know, we're hoping by Christmas could even be sooner. We don't know. But they're starting to get more healthy. They win this game. Darren Fox, you know, they've got a guy who's clutched down the stretch that they could go to, but they have Dylan Harper coming off the bench giving him 22 points. And I mean, it just feels like they have a bevy of riches here. They just almost have too many guys.

[Zena Kada]

With Stefan Castle back in the mix, the expectation was Julian Champagne might get, like, limited minutes, Keldon Johnson and looking at, you know, Dylan Harper as well, but Julian Champagne had 17 points in this game, was able to play almost 29 minutes in this game. Keldon Johnson had about 17 minutes. So he had his average around just a little bit under his average. But it was Devin Vassell that concerns me in terms of what happens when Stefan Castle is back on the floor. We did not expect Stefan Castle to come back on the floor and look like he did not just miss nine games because of that left hip flexor strain. Okay. He was going straight to the basket. He was forcing the issue. Uh, he was. In all actions. I mean, every single opportunity, he had to be able to start offense for himself and get to the rim or get it going and then dump it off. I mean, he was involved in everything. And Devin Vassell, unfortunately, was a byproduct. Excuse me. His lack of productivity was a byproduct of that. He wasn't as involved in actions. I mean, in 27 minutes, Devin Vassell got five points. He usually averages over 15. Okay, so now I'm wondering, and we think about this all the time, right? We think about it in Atlanta, when Trae Young comes back, what will that do to Jalen Johnson? Right. When certain point guards come back or certain players come back that are more ball dominant, that are more downhill players, how does that impact the folks that had to step up in their absence or produce in their absence? This Dylan Harper, I think is inevitable. You can't ignore him in the fact that he's going to get his minutes, he's going to get his time. But now I'm wondering, how does that work, really, with Devin Vassell?

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

And when Wendy comes back, right. There's only. When we come back, right. There's a lot of mouths.

[Zena Kada]

Exactly.

[Dave Dufour]

I think that also one thing is that when. When Wemby's back, Harrison Barnes probably doesn't get 15 shots, right? He's back in the corner. He's back in the corner waiting for those spot ups.

[Zena Kada]

Think about, I mean, Harrison Barnes played 35 minutes leading all players for the spurs tonight.

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[Zena Kada]

And even at towards the end of the game, he checked out for like 22 seconds, had come right back in like he was the connective tissue. And these are the kind of games that the spurs are going to start finding themselves in, particularly after that All Star break when folks are trying to make their claim in the Western Conference. Is it Devin Vassell that's going to be the one that's going to ask, you know, to step up? Harrison Barnes, like, again, I like the way you put it. There's too many mouths to feed and it's. I'm just very curious as to what the competition is going to look like for that backcourt and the competition for shots.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I mean, this is a great problem to have. Right. It's kind of like Oklahoma City where you look and you're just like, wow, you guys have too much talent. How does everyone play? Yeah, I mean, the spurs. And you think about where the spurs were two or three years ago. And to compare it to today, I mean, the Wemby draft, the Stephen Castle draft, Dylan Harper draft, it just, I don't know. Spurs are set up. Seems like that Texas, Oklahoma kind of area is just going to be a hotbed of basketball for the next decade. So might be a good time to move there.

[Zena Kada]

I don't know.

[Dave Dufour]

I like California though. Guys, stick around after the break. We got John Krasinski to talk about the Wolves and what the heck's going on with their focus.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. The NBA on Prime is back with an exciting week of Emirates cup action. The knockout rounds start with quarterfinal double headers on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Then the quest for the cup heads to Vegas for a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday. And it all culminates with the championship game next Tuesday night. I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the NBA cup and the drama that it provides. I'm telling you, players really want to win this thing. And if you don't respect the Cup, I don't know what you're doing. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA cup coverage continues this week only on prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

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[Dave Dufour]

Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a game last night to the scrappy Suns, who don't have Devin Booker, but Colin Gillespie doing a decent impression of him. John Krasinski was there at the game. John, you know, before the game, you asked Chris Finch about the team and what they needed to work on. He said defense and focus. And I would argue that they struggled with both of those things in the game. And you would say, Look, 108 points in an NBA game, that's all you gave up. That's not too bad. But they, it was the way that they gave up those points and then the focus just clearly wasn't there from Rudy Gobert all the way down, in my opinion, outside of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. So I just want to know what was your impression of the team that was supposed to be extra focused for this game last night?

Yeah, I mean, I do think it's been something that has plagued them for most of the season when they go up. They've had a relatively soft schedule to start this season. And so I think that they have allowed that lack of star power that they're playing against to dull their senses. Really. I mean, I, you know, I don't think they play with the same edge even in a game tonight like, or last night, like the Suns. You know, they are 14 and 10. They're, they're a good team. They've had, they have a good record, but no Devin Booker. They don't have a star player outside of him. I don't care what you say about Dylan Brooks. Like, he doesn't fit in that category. And so, so I think that they look at Colin Gillespie, they look at Mark Williams, they look at these guys and, and they don't think they need to bring the necessary urgency and intensity and focus and all of that. And, and that's what you saw again in the first half. You know, you give up 32 points in the second quarter, 29 in the first, and that's just, it requires you to dig out of holes over and over again. And that's what they've been doing for much of this season and some of the times they're able to do it and then some of the times, like against the Suns, you get burned and, and that's what happened in this game.

[Zena Kada]

What's tough is that when you look at Minnesota and you look at their, the way that they've performed statistically over the course of this season, they're top 10 in so many important categories. It feels like it should translate into there's consistency in your roster, you're performing well offensively, defensively, it should be easy wins. But then you allow the Pelicans, one of the worst offenses, to put up 142 points on you. Right. Or you allow what you saw last night in those quarters that you just laid out. Where does the inconsistency lie? And how much does having an Aunt Edwards realize, hey, during this regular season, as we march towards the playoffs, let me just take over real quick. Let me just handle this, let me handle business and then we can go move forward into the playoffs.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I think Zeno, when you look at where it lies, I do believe it is rooted in this part of it and that is that this team has been to the Western Conference finals for two straight years and it feels like a team that just wants to fast forward through the boring stuff and get to the exciting stuff. And they have actually said it. Anthony Edwards said it on the road in New Orleans, I believe it was, and a couple of other players have talked about that as well. It feels like a team that is taking the regular season for granted and that can be problematic in a Western Conference which you figure is going to be competitive all the way through. And it may cost you, you know, going from a home court advantage to maybe a six seed, maybe going from a six seed into the play in and it is literally playing with fire. I mean, that's just what they are doing right now. And you know, we have seen them play their best even in a loss to okc. I thought they played really well against the spurs, against Boston, against the. Some of the teams that are really good teams that are established, they bring it. And against the, the teams that are not or do not have their big stars. These guys are just like, ah, we got to go to work again tonight. And that just cannot be the mindset and the mentality of this team because you're just going to only create more problems for yourself doing it that way.

I mean, look, there were, there were a lot of things in the game against the Suns. I mean, the turnovers were Were pretty awful. And the Suns, look, that's how they make their living. I get it. But they were awful. And I think that's something that Minnesota definitely needs to be better with. But Rudy Gobert was having a very good game. He was very effective on both ends. I mean, offensively, after he got hit in the head, all of a sudden Rudy Gobert was like unstoppable. But you could see that, like he was bothered by getting hit in the head. He retaliates on Mark Williams with a really dirty hit with his elbow into the guy's ribs when he's in the air. I mean, absolutely dirty, dirty play. Gets ejected and now he sits with five flagrant foul points. One more flagrant foul point and he's ejected or suspended for a game. This is the sort of stuff that to me is the big picture stuff that you just don't see with teams that are competing for a title. Like, you know, you're one of your best players, one of your key players. Getting ejected in the middle of a game where you guys probably need to win this one because it's not a good team. Right. I mean, this is the sort of stuff that I look at and I start to think, okay, are they actually contenders in the West? Right? Like, can they pull this together? You've got Anthony Edwards and he. Is this going to be a rising tide, especially for your offense? But you have to have Rudy Gobert locked in all the time. And man, it does feel like he's kind of having an up and down year too.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he, you know, when you look at, you look at the game, 108 points. So you say, okay, defensively, that you, you should win a game at home when you only give up one away. But one of the things that did struggle tonight against the Suns was they only scored 105. And normally you would say, well, Rudy Gobert was on the floor. That should be a good thing for your offense. But they were really struggling to shoot the ball from three tonight. And so one thing that was really effective for them was Rudy Gobert at the basket against Osogadaro, against Mark Williams, against a smaller sons front. He was feasting really on the offensive glass. He was catching lobs for dunks. He was 7 for 9 in 21 minutes. That almost never happens for Rudy Gobert. But because he was asserting himself, the offense was going. They were being able to get something that they could rely on when the threes weren't falling. And so then he has the selfish play to get you to make the play on Williams and get thrown out. And that takes a big part of what was working for them offensively off the table. And so from. For a veteran leader of Rudy Gobert's stature in this locker room, someone who is constantly preaching about building big habit, great habits and. And doing the right things, for him to make that mistake in that moment in a game where they're in a dog fight against a team that they are much more talented than it was something that was incredibly disappointing. And I do think it was a deserved ejection. And now he really has to play the Next, you know, 60 games, essentially 58 games on eggshells because you get one more flagrant and you're suspended. So it really put himself in a bad position and also the team in a bad position.

[Zena Kada]

I'm laughing, John. I'm laughing, John, because the next game that the Timberwolves play, what could go wrong? Zena is someone that knows exactly how to get Rudy Gobert to crush those eggshells. And of course, I'm talking about Draymond Green at the Warriors. But I want to go back to the main reason I was saying about the Anthony Edwards aspect, and I'm happy Dave brought this up in terms of the focus from a leader, because the other person on this team that you would think about from a leadership perspective is Anthony Edwards, who, of course, 40 point game did all of the work to help get them back in this game. Whether it was contributing himself, going straight to the rack, setting up his teammates, but at the very end of the game, being able to potentially go up, at least to tie it up. The shot goes to Jaden McDaniels, who ended the night 1 for 7. Now, knowing what we know about Minnesota and the team ball that they play, and of course, the familiarity between Anthony Edwards and Jada McDaniels and the belief that he's gotten his boy, and we know he has that. How is that going to be perceived in terms of Anthony not taking that shot and rather giving it up, not being selfish and putting that trust in his teammate?

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I think that's an important point for Ant and really for this team in the clutch is, you know, they have struggled in clutch situations a lot for this season, a lot last season before the playoffs came around. And one of the things that they have talked about is they felt like they were too predictable in that the ball would always go to Ant and it would be in his hands, and then he would take the shot. And a lot of times it was a step Back three. A lot of times it was a difficult shot, but he wants that pressure, he wants that responsibility. That's a really admirable and noble thing. But I think what they have tried to stress with him is that, hey, you also got to look for your teammates as well, and that will make us harder to guard in the aggregate. So to, you know, in the Suns game, it did not work out and, you know, pro, you could definitely question it because Jaden McDaniels was having a rare off night. He was shooting 48 from three coming into this game over five against the Suns. So you like that he did trust Jaden in that situation. But also I think what he saw is what he's seen a lot the last couple of weeks is that the Suns really did try to load up as much as they could on him and make someone else beat them. And, and so the right play probably was to send it over to Jaden and who had a clean, a little bit cleaner look. But the Suns, man, I could give them credit. Jordan Ott has them playing their tails off defensively, hustling, you know, just, they are a team that is playing better than the sum of their parts, and the Wolves are a team that has, you know, not played up to the sum of its parts yet. And so you just saw a team that was gritty and, and, and played the right way and concentrated on the right things and made it hard on Anthony Edwards at the end of the game because everyone knew with 40 points that he was going to be the one that tried to win that game.

I know you said Dylan Brooks isn't a star and, and he's not by any, any measure, but he has a cultural effect that is undeniable. And now we've seen it in multiple places. I think, you know, again, whatever they're doing in Phoenix is working. They, they play hard constantly. All right, John, before you get out of here, I want to ask you, we're, we're at the quarter of the way mark of the season. You know, it's time to give out some grades, right? Where would you grade the Timberwolves? You know, like, give them a letter grade, but also where would you put them in the West? Like, right now they're the six seed. Do you feel like that's where they're at in the West?

You know, I, I, one thing that surprised me this season so far about the west is I thought it was going to be 1 through 11, 12, like just a slobber knocker that way. And we have seen some of those teams fall off in the bottom part of the conference. And so I don't think it's as deep quite as I thought it was going to be. So I think, you know, right in that 6 range is probably deserved for the Wolves. And at the start of this season, if I would have said the six seed, I would have said, man, that's really good because this, this conference is a nightmare. But I think it's actually more of a left handed compliment than it is anything else right now because they are a team that does have a lot of individual talent. You're seeing a breakout season from Jade McDaniels. Anthony Edwards has really played well for the most part, especially offensively and. And so they've gotten some really good things. Julius Randall was great at the start of the year. He's kind of tailed off just a little bit, but.

Collectively yet they have not coalesced and they have not come together. And we thought that with all of the continuity that they had, they didn't make any major moves over the summer, that, that they were going to get off to a faster start because everyone was together and everyone knew each other so well. But it just has not come around that way. And it feels more like they've underachieved right now at 15 and nine, and yet they're still 15 and nine and still in the six seed and, you know, a couple of games back from the four seed. So it's not by. There's no. By no means a disaster or anything yet, but they have to start figuring things out and playing with more urgency. Maybe seeing one of their favorite guys in Draymond on Friday will kick start something. But. But it has been disappointing to this point that they are here given the schedule they've played and given how much continuity they have so far.

Yeah, look, I think this is a team that we. We know what they can be at their peak. It's just that they don't seem to hit it as often as we want them to and.

Right.

You know, maybe figure that out.

Right. One thing on that, Dave, is that you do have to give them a little bit of the benefit of the doubt right now because it is a team that historically, over the last couple of years, has figured out its flaws through the regular season and then hits the playoffs running. And so I do think that this is a team that can figure the stuff out that is, that ails it. And by the time the playoffs come around, they can be a really difficult matchup against most teams in this conference. So there's no panic. There's no, none of that going on. But it's still, you want to see a little bit more urgency, a little more energy out of them on a night in and night out basis.

Yeah, I mean, listen, I think that they're just as, just as good as they were last year. I don't think there's been some sort of drop off. And if this team is, if you're facing Anthony Edwards in the playoffs, I mean, you already know that that's going to be a tough one. So. All right, John Krasinski, guys, go and read them over at the Athletic. Thank you for hanging out with us, John. Thanks to Xena Keda. I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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