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The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves are two franchises that are in better places now than they were a year ago, with the former in good position to make the playoffs on the current pace and the latter leading the Western Conference.
But while these teams have different roster compositions and immediate goals at hand, they are more similar than you think. As a result, there are lessons to be learned regardless of what the standings show.
To discuss macro and micro themes that connect the two franchises, Rockets beat writer Kelly Iko and Timberwolves beat writer Jon Krawczynski chatted following Minnesota’s 122-95 win over Houston on Friday night. Here is their conversation:
Iko: Happy New Year, Jon! Thanks for doing this.
We are getting closer to the official halfway mark of the season and by now, it’s clear where both the Timberwolves and Rockets stack up in the West. Minnesota is 25-9 and has maintained a consistent lead over the conference, while Houston is 17-16 and chugging away, trying to keep up while hovering around .500.
Look a bit closer, though, and things aren’t that different. Both teams are 17th and 18th in offense and first and second in defense, according to Cleaning the Glass. Both teams are in the bottom half of 3-point proficiency, connecting on around 38 percent of 3s (12 makes a night) and both dish out 25 assists per game. Houston rebounds better than Minnesota, which is both odd and hilarious, but we’ll get into everything.
Given those similarities, Jon, what is it about the Wolves’ season that has set them apart? Is it simply the talent at the top?
Krawczynski: Always great to catch up with you, Kelly. It’s been a great start to the season for both of these teams, especially considering where they have been in recent times. The game on Friday night featured the two teams with the biggest jump in win percentage compared to last season, with the Rockets leading the NBA with a plus-.263 in comparison to last season and the Wolves a plus-.215. So both fan bases have reason to be amped through the first two-plus months of the season.
A couple of things have helped the Wolves get off to a better start than Houston. First, as you said, they have more talent at the top of their roster than Houston. No shade on Fred VanVleet or Alperen Şengün, but Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are three established stars in this league. Some will quibble with that designation for Gobert, but he’s a multi-time All-Star, three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and he has been playing some of his best basketball to start this season, so he qualifies. Add to it Mike Conley’s steadying presence and Naz Reid off the bench, and the Wolves have a ton of talent to work with nightly.
Secondly, this group has now been together for a minute. They struggled last season while trying to figure each other out after the Gobert trade, then brought in Conley at the deadline in February. But they had a full offseason and training camp to set a foundation for them, so there is much more synergy and cohesion with the group to start this season. That’s why it took them until Games 32 and 33 on the schedule to lose two in a row. They know each other well enough to make adjustments to figure things out when they aren’t going well. Chris Finch, who is coaching his third full season in Minnesota, helps with the continuity and identity as well.
Whereas in Houston, VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, two of their top three in minutes played, are new to the roster and Ime Udoka is in his first season as coach. The Rockets have seen a huge improvement from last season, but my guess is that will only get better as the group coalesces with time together.
Iko: In his fourth season, Edwards has firmly cemented himself among the game’s best, an athletic, multi-faceted guard averaging 27-5-5 on high volume and good efficiency. In contrast, Jalen Green has regressed in Year 3 (had a positive, much-needed week recently) and is putting up numbers eerily similar to his rookie campaign, not the ideal developmental arc.
On the surface, both players are comparable. Green and Edwards have athleticism and three-level scoring. Both have a penchant for the emphatic and are quite expressive on the floor. It’s likely part of the reason why Edwards is so fond of Green, having seemingly taken him under his wing. After the first game of Green’s NBA career — Edwards’s second year — the two spent a few hours together talking basketball. That night, Edwards outlined everything that was going to happen soon for him — taking his game to another level and being named an All-Star. He also explained to Green what he needed to do to reach those same goals.
Edwards hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie season, and I don’t think Green is being benched anytime soon. But when did you start to see Edwards turn a corner? And do you think Green can reach that level?
Krawczynski: Green has all the physical talent to ascend as high as he wants. I’ve seen him be unguardable against the Wolves, and I’ve also seen him disappear. You know his personality and make-up so much more than I do, but let me tell you what I’ve seen from Edwards to help propel him forward.
When Edwards was drafted No. 1, there were questions about his love of the game and work ethic. It turns out that those questions were absurd. It seems that most of them originated from one poorly researched predraft story that put too much stock in a vanilla interview that Edwards gave for the project.
From the moment he arrived in Minnesota, his love for the game has been evident. He works hard on his craft, loves being around his teammates and hates to lose. No player was more disappointed when the Wolves lost to the Nuggets in the first round last season than Edwards, and that fueled the best summer he has had as a pro.
Here is another key for Edwards: He is self-aware, coachable and young at 22 so he will make mistakes, poor decisions and have occasional lapses. But when the coaching staff or the vets talk to him about what went wrong and how he can improve, he almost always comes out the next game addressing the issues. Case in point: In the few games leading up to the loss to New Orleans the other night, there was a lot of talk about how the offense had grown stagnant and the Wolves needed better ball movement. Edwards was playing a little too much ISO ball and it was helping to clog things up.
Edwards came out on Wednesday with an eye on passing the ball. He had four assists in the first quarter. As the game went on, the team shot poorly and couldn’t get things going. After the game, Edwards said one of the keys going forward will be to put the ball in Conley’s hands more often. That’s impressive recognition and humility for a lead scorer of his talent. He wants to do what it takes to win, and that earns him respect in the locker room, even when he is making mistakes.
Have you seen anything similar with Green on that front?
Jalen Green and Anthony Edwards. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Iko: Kind of. Green has been one of the biggest endorsers of the VanVleet acquisition and has deferred to him on several occasions this season. He’s said all the right things and seems to have the backing of everyone in and outside of the locker room, but I think he’s been too deferential. I’ll explain.
I’m not sure if you got a chance to catch the end of last week’s Rockets-76ers matchup, a calamity of a final possession that culminated in a Jock Landale contested layup attempt even though Houston needed to get a 3 off. Green honestly had a window at taking it, but he looked like he was focused on not messing up and giving up the ball rather than just being aggressive and living with the consequences. After the game, Udoka made it clear to Green — who had exploded for 31 points on the night — that he wanted him to take the last shot.
Ime Udoka said Jalen Green was the first option on HOU final possession, either taking a quick 3 or an open look off a screen.
Added that he felt Green had a chance to get a shot off initially, but stressed that Jock Landale needed to find a shooter after receiving the ball.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) December 30, 2023
That’s who the Rockets want Green to be. The guy. Maybe not the 1A, looks like it’s Şengün, but a strong 1B.
But it’s going to take a lot of leadership and help to get Green there. You mentioned VanVleet earlier, do you see similarities with Conley, a veteran point guard you seem to love covering?
Krawczynski: Absolutely. Conley is a little bit older, but man you see so many things he and VanVleet share in common. Both are big-time leaders, guys who you feel comfortable with when the ball is in their hands late in games. Both have been winners in this league for a long time, though VanVleet already has the title Conley is still chasing.
Coaches and executives talk about culture all the time. You need players like Conley and VanVleet when you’re trying to establish that culture, especially when you have young stars on your team who need to be shown the way.
I can’t tell you how many times we walk into the locker room after a Wolves game, win or loss, and Edwards is picking Conley’s brain. Conley isn’t afraid to tell the young fella when he messes up. But he’s also swift to praise him when he does the right thing.
You could make an argument that Conley is the most valuable player on the team. They don’t have another great point guard option behind him, and he’s also hit a ton of big shots in his relatively short time in Minnesota. When he doesn’t play well, as was the case against New Orleans the other night, the Wolves often do not play well as a team.
When I saw the Rockets land VanVleet, I knew that it was going to be money well spent. It’s hard to put a price tag on that kind of presence.
From a selfish perspective, it’s been great to have Conley in that locker room for us. Every media session is an education. He’s engaging and generous with his time. I’ve learned a lot from him. I imagine VanVleet is similar for you?
Iko: Definitely. He’s quickly become a favorite in Houston, not only from a player’s perspective but from the media as well. Whether the Rockets play well or poorly, he’s always there to give well-thought-out explanations and is their unequivocal leader on and off the floor.
It also helps that VanVleet is enjoying a bit of a career resurgence as well, even as he’s approaching 30. I don’t like to use the term “prime” with point guards because they’re similar to running backs in my opinion — heavy usage and reps at early ages that tend to wear down as the years go. But this season, VanVleet is averaging a career-high in assists (8.6), assist-to-turnover ratio (4.84), shooting his highest mark from 3 (40 percent) since 2017 on great volume, while also playing a whopping 37.4 minutes per game. Not only is he a stabilizing presence, but he’s never wanted to dominate the ball and has encouraged Şengün and others to take on more of a scoring role. He’s been worth every penny he signed in July.
But speaking of Şengün, I wanted to get your thoughts on similar approaches from both Houston and Minnesota. Both teams are stocked with veterans but their best or most important player is aged 22 or younger, speaking of Edwards and Şengün. It’s worked out so far for the Wolves, but is that the path you see the Rockets taking as well — and is it the optimal one?
Krawczynski: It’s ideal. I remember the late Flip Saunders took over a Wolves team with Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins all in their first or second years. He brought in Kevin Garnett to be the big vet with Towns, Andre Miller to be the guard vet for LaVine and Tayshaun Prince to be the wing vet for Wiggins. He was adamant that young players need good veteran leaders to show them the way and teach them what it takes to be pros. When you spoke to people around the league about the Rockets before this season, one of the main criticisms was there wasn’t that strong veteran leadership for Green, Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr.
Now, KG, Miller and Prince were all well past their primes on that team. But with VanVleet, Brooks, Jeff Green — guys like that who not only are great vets but still have plenty of game left — it will be so beneficial for the Rockets youngsters, including Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore now. I believe you can be too young in this league. I know fans sometimes get excited about that and assume that progress will be linear and they try to project over the long haul with youth and draft assets. But bad habits can be developed in the wrong situations, and it seems like the Rockets have done a good job of addressing that.
It’s one of the under-the-radar aspects of the Gobert trade that many missed last season. Yes, they got Rudy because they thought he could help them win right away with Towns in his prime and (at the time) D’Angelo Russell there as well. But one of the big factors few people talked about wasn’t the ceiling they believed Gobert could help them reach, but the floor as well. With Gobert on the roster, they knew that their chances of being in the playoffs were very high.
It turns out they needed to win the second Play-In game to get there, but they did it. And they never would have been there had they not had Gobert on the roster last season and Towns missing 52 games with a calf injury. The Wolves knew they needed to build a team that was playing meaningful games while Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, the young core, were still on their rookie deals.
Losing can be hard on a young player’s development. The Wolves wanted to make sure Edwards was in the playoffs. It worked. And it has helped him immensely. Now in Year 4, Edwards is on the team that has the best record in the West. That gives him a real idea of what it’s like to play with a target on your back. You cannot overstate the importance of that experience.
Green, Şengün, Smith and Thompson will be the primary beneficiaries of the Rockets being back in the playoff hunt. These games mean something now. There is no talk about lottery odds and losing on purpose. VanVleet, Brooks, Green and Udoka have made winning the goal again in Houston. It doesn’t guarantee they will all develop to reach their full potential. But it gives them a much better chance.
Iko: I agree. One more thing I wanted to touch on before letting you go. The biggest reason why they are even in the playoff hunt now is because of the defensive improvement they’ve made across the board.
It’s a different setup to what Minnesota has, no twin towers or Gobert-like rim protector is manning the middle for Houston, but the Rockets have been able to leverage their speed, physicality and length to disrupt half-court offenses, focusing on “shrinking the floor,” switching and overall harassment. Şengün has been able to stay on the floor and even switch some, which pleases Udoka given his importance on the other side of the ball. Tari Eason and Smith have taken leaps too. Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday have been versatile and aggressive. Amen Thompson has shown potential when he’s been on the floor.
Their defense has naturally dropped some since Brooks has been out with an injury, but the Rockets are much better positioned to win games now than they have been at any point during their rebuild because of this shift.
I know the Wolves are leading the pack right now — and their defense also has been successful — but do you see that as a realistic path to contention because of it? Are we still in the age of defense wins championships?
Krawczynski: This is a great question and I’ve been giving it a ton of thought recently. The short answer is I’m not sure.
The longer answer: J.J. Redick discussed this on his excellent podcast and I found it compelling. The game has been so rigged toward offense that I do wonder if a team can win a title doing it with defense. Scoring is through the roof. Spacing, efficiency and the overall talent of the players these days make getting stops difficult. I mean, everyone can make shots in the league now.
The times the Wolves have looked to be in trouble this season have been when they have been lured into track meets. It’s hard for them to keep up when it’s just going shot for shot against another team knocking everything down.
But I do think it’s a great recipe for regular-season success. Defense is a more sustainable game-to-game than a red-hot offense. And defense-first teams generally play harder on a nightly basis. The harder-paying team is in good shape in a regular-season game.
Emphasizing defense is a great way to develop young players. It teaches them to pay attention to detail, watch film and instill a competitive level that is sometimes absent from teams that want to get up and down.
I’m not saying you can’t win a title when defense is your calling card. But you need some balance. You can’t have a top-five defense and an offense in the 20s and expect to survive in the playoffs.
The Wolves have plenty of firepower to improve their offense over time. If they just stop turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate, their efficiency numbers will make a big jump. Edwards and Towns are two of the best offensive players in the game. Gobert is highly efficient and a great screen setter. Conley is shooting the 3 as well as he ever has and Reid is dynamic off the bench.
The ingredients are there, but they have to play better than they have.
(Photo of Fred VanVleet and Mike Conley: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
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