After an offseason of change, the vibes in Minnesota are evidently a bit off to start the year.
It's still early in the season, but the Timberwolves just haven't been able to get on the same page. Case in point: a recent mishap in which the team inadvertently played four-on-five for nearly an entire defensive possession, while D'Angelo Russell watched from the scorer's table. Seriously.
The clip, which quickly went viral and amassed nearly two million views in 12 hours, is about as bad as it sounds, if not worse. Enjoy all 31 seconds of Minnesota's obliviousness below.
This is an all-timer! Russell not realizing he's supposed to be on the court, Suns play a possession 5-on-4, make a 3-pointer. #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/3hrT51FGKO
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) November 10, 2022
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Phoenix was able to take advantage of the rare basketball power play, but it begs the question of how this even happened.
Here's a quick breakdown:
According to the game's play-by-play, Jaylen Nowell was fouled on a made layup with 7:53 remaining in the second quarter, meaning he would step to the free-throw line to complete the and-one.
The foul meant it was a dead ball and Russell was supposed to check in for Taurean Prince. As shown below, Prince got the check-out memo, but Russell missed his cue to check in.
One way or another, this is a product of Russell's awareness or lack thereof.
In the above screenshot, Russell's head is down, so it's plausible that he doesn't see Prince walk by him to head to the bench, he thought he was supposed to check in for the shooter, or both.
The more I think about it, the more puzzling it is that Russell is so oblivious.
Whatever the case may be, it makes for a funny visual of Russell watching his team retreat on defense at a one-person disadvantage. At one point, he looks to even yell encouragement to his teammates on D.
The lack of reaction from Minnesota's bench is also telling. There appears to be confusion, but no clear call for Russell to join his four teammates on the floor.
It's not until the Suns miss a wide-open 3-pointer and get an easy offensive rebound that it all clicks, making for the hilarious visual of Russell entering the frame, but it was too late as Torrey Craig knocked down a triple.
Russell waving his arm as he runs on the court while the shot is in flight perfectly sums up the absurdity of it all.
The defensive mishap is the latest Timberwolves play that has gone viral for the wrong reasons, which isn't ideal for the first 12 games of the season.
The good news for Minnesota? There are 70 games left in the season, which means there is plenty of time to right the ship and make plays that go viral for the right reasons. The team will just need to be aware of what's going on first.
