The great, late Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders once defined team chemistry to me as players on the roster knowing and accepting their proper place in the pecking order when it came to roles and primacy.
When I related that to current Wolves Coach Chris Finch in one of our long preseason conversations a couple of years ago, he wasn’t happy with the definition but struggled to come up with something else.
“It is this thing that exists and you know it when you have it,” Finch said. “You know you have it when that team expects to win that night rather than hopes to win that night.”
Both definitions acknowledge the chicken-or-the-egg nature of chemistry and winning. Each drives the other. It is much easier to know and accept your role on a team when it is successful, just as expecting rather than merely hoping to win is obviously driven by a preponderance of victories.
The 2023-24 Timberwolves won 56 games during the regular season and four more in their recent sweep of the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs, so it is hardly surprising that the chemistry in the locker room and on the court is so authentic, and more widespread than at any point in my coverage of the team over the past 34 years.
But it is still remarkable. So here are some remarks.
After Karl-Anthony Towns tore the meniscus in his knee in early March, the Wolves posted a 12-6 record in the 18 games he missed, including 10-4 when Naz Reid took his place in the starting lineup. Just before KAT returned in the next-to-last game of the regular season, Finch mentioned the two had an extensive discussion about “specific” things relative to his reintegration in the rotation.
After the Wolves defeated the Suns in Game 3 last week, KAT was asked what those specifics were.
“Just sacrifice and being willing. Naz did a great job of having the ball flow through him and capitalizing on opportunities when he could shoot. I wanted to be able to do that. So one of the things was just being more unselfish with the ball and having the game dictate if I was going to get 30-to-40 (points) or not.”
Less than three years ago, KAT was the clear-cut alpha star of the Wolves; then president of basketball operations, Gersson Rosas, did everything but erect a statue of him to showcase his preeminence. With the ascension of Anthony Edwards, there was inevitable concern the past season or two about how KAT would handle losing that status. Now here he was matter-of-factly copping to the notion that Naz – the undrafted player who has worked himself into becoming the Sixth Man of the Year this season – had set an example for him to follow. One that involved further subordination.
KAT watched, listened, learned, and delivered.
His usage rate dropped from 26.8 in the regular season to 23.2 against Phoenix – lower than in any year of his career except for the one beside Jimmy Butler in 2017-18. He shot less often but more accurately, leading the team in effective field goal percentage. He lowered his turnover ratio from 12.3 to 9.6 while keeping his assist ratio steady at 14.7.
Less than 48 hours after his frank talk about unselfishness and choosing moments in the post-Game 3 locker room, his shooting prevented the Wolves from being blown out in the first half of Game 4. KAT was 5-for-7 from the field; the rest of the team 12-for-38. He was 3-for-3 from three-point range, while the other Wolves went 1-for-15.
On defense, KAT, whose feet sport an astonishingly long size 20 shoe, also had the unenviable assignment of being the primary defender on sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant after Game 1. It enabled the Wolves to match up more formidably at the other four positions. He acquitted himself well (by contrast, Durant toyed with Naz) in a thankless role.
Finally, Game 3 of the playoffs was originally the date KAT was going to be cleared to start playing 5-on-5 in practice after the early-March surgery on his knee. His dedication to rehab sped up that schedule by a crucial two weeks. In the past, KAT would have trumpeted that fact as if he were leading a brass band. In the locker room in Phoenix, he deposited the info like a c-note tip beside the tab for dinner, subtle and classy.
Tandem interviews became a thing for Wolves media in Phoenix, and after Game 3, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (NAW) conducted one by Conley’s locker stall. For the second year in a row, NAW has elevated his performance in the playoffs. Last season, with Jaden McDaniels out with a broken hand, it was NAW’s stalwart defense on Denver’s Jamal Murray. This year it has been his versatility at both ends of the court, including his shooting and playmaking on offense as well as his wing defense.
Asked to comment on NAW, especially as the de facto backup point guard, Conley joked, “He won’t tell you but I groomed him well. He’s been taking some of my moves – a little sidestep for the three (point shot) in the corner. But nah, he’s been great. I’m sure he’s going to take over one day and do his thing.”
As Conley lingered, NAW talked about being too hard on himself sometimes and the need to stay humble. When Conley went to shower, Alexander-Walker said, “Now that he left, I can say he was not far off from the truth. I mean, that’s like a big brother to me, through and through. The ability he has on the game – someone who doesn’t even want to shoot. He keeps people together and then when it’s time, you see another version of Mike that people are surprised by. I always tell him, ‘They don’t know it is by choice.’ Mike is choosing to play that way because he has this view of the bigger picture. And ultimately it has helped me.
“When I got there in Utah (where Conley was already on the roster for the Jazz), my game changed,” NAW continued. “I was an eager guy, trying to score every possession. Now I’ve been watching his (play)-making the reads and I’ve been picking his brain the last two and a half years. He just keeps the main thing the main thing, makes sure we’re not getting caught up in silly things, distractions in life.”
You can’t talk chemistry without including Ant. Saunders was on to something by linking it to the pecking order – the personality of a team is undeniably affected by its best player. It is like a dominant gene in the family DNA. Ant’s phenomenal athleticism quickens the pulse; his ability to retain the innate goodness in his character while maturing out of flaws in his play and the mistakes of his youth enable fans to expect to revel in this team rather than merely hope to revel.
And then there’s Ant’s guileless demeanor under the near-constant media spotlight that is disarming and durably attractive. He goes out of his way to give credit to his teammates and coaches, a generosity of spirit that melds humor, compassion and an appreciation for the cosmic joke that unites infants and sages. To invoke a cliché, Ant is “a real one.”
The 2024 playoffs are accelerating his escalator to superstardom. Like NAW, Conley’s mentorship has raised the level of his basketball IQ and honed his perspective and approach to the game. Finch has expertly brought him along, while frequently stating that Ant “allows me to coach him hard,” an invaluable dynamic for the team overall as well as the alpha star himself.
When it comes to basketball, the growth is dramatic in two areas thus far. On offense, Ant is recognizing the increasingly vast resources opponents use to stymie his scoring prowess and is developing the patience and global awareness to rebut them, primarily through passing, but also ambush-quick responses in the shot or off the dribble. Through the four-game sweep he led the Wolves in scoring and steals, tied for first in assists and blocks and was third in rebounds. He made 51.1% of his field goals overall, and boosted his accuracy up to 43.8% from three-point range and 83.9% from the foul line.
On defense, Ant sustained his focus, a simple but stupendous improvement, given that inattention has long been a glaring deficit in his play at that end of the court. When I asked the Wolves’ defensive linchpin and stalwart Rudy Gobert what elements were most improved during the playoffs thus far, he said “our awareness and getting back in transition.” I later asked him if that was mostly about Ant’s leap forward. He didn’t answer in words but his sly smile was confirming.
Ant and Gobert shared the court for 113 minutes in the first round series. During that time the Wolves scored 61 more points than the Suns – the highest plus/minus of any duo in the postseason as of Wednesday morning. In the 79 minutes they weren’t together, the Wolves were outscored by a point.
The pair shared the podium after Game 3 and praised each other, of course. But the best part was hearing Ant talk about his learning process. He’s been absorbing information like a sponge in preparation for this postseason, and in his remarks squeezed the sponge for our benefit.
Asked about the productive calibrations he had been making to balance his scoring with his playmaking, he replied, “My teammates and coaches do a great job of letting me know every time: Like, ‘Hey, the low man is in the corner,’ or ‘The low man is straddling the fence and Rudy is open.’ They tell me everything they are seeing and I just take it all in.
“It comes from watching film. (Assistant Coach) C (Chris) Hine sends me the film and we watch it. So, I know (the opposing team’s) game plan is high wall (defense) and put two (defenders) on me. So therefore when Rudy rolls we pull one side in so one is going to be open. Or they are going to bump Rudy on the roll, so the (teammate on the) wing is going to be open. Or if they don’t put two on me, I’m going to attack. Watching film helps me a lot.”
Asked if the intensive week of preparation between the end of the regular season and the onset of the playoffs was helpful, Ant devoured the question.
“Sure. I mean, my first few times in the playoffs I wasn’t able to prepare like that because it was a play-in game (and the Wolves didn’t know their opponent in advance),” answered Edwards. “So to me, I will say it was super important. I got in the best shape of my life that week. I was able to really understand a playoff game plan and learn how to execute everything, see how everything goes. The coaching staff a phenomenal job, I will say that.”
When the Wolves traveled to Denver for the playoffs last season, Ant clapped back when their local media referred to him as not yet a star.
“So, what will it take for you to be a star?” media asked.
“To win in the playoffs,” Ant answered.As of last Sunday night, even by his own standards, Ant is a star. On this coming Saturday, they are back in Denver for their first second-round playoff appearance in 20 years. The Nuggets are the reigning champions. The Wolves do not hope to win. They expect it.
Britt Robson
Britt Robson has covered the Timberwolves since 1990 for City Pages, The Rake, SportsIllustrated.com and The Athletic. He also has written about all forms and styles of music for over 30 years.
