NBA opening night was a disappointing one for the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Timberwolves trailed most of the game, and at one point they were down by 19 points. They fought back toward the end, but it wasn’t enough to get them the win.
The biggest concern from their first game was missing shots and their effort, and on the TNT broadcast, Stan Van Gundy particularly called out Julius Randle for his play. Through parts of the game, Randle was using his slow pace to try and get going, but it felt like it was slowing down the rest of the team.
As far as effort, there was a time during the game when Austin Reaves got a rebound after a missed free throw from Anthony Davis, and Gundy called out Randle.
“Julius Randle made absolutely no effort there,” Gundy said after the play.
As the game continued, it looked like Randle started to get into a rhythm, and he finished the night with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. With him being new on the team, it could take him some time to get adjusted, and the hope is that it doesn’t take long.
Julius Randle must play better for Timberwolves
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One thing the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of was Julius Randle’s defense, which Rui Hachimura noted after the game.
“We talked about Julius Randle. He sometimes is just standing and stuff,” Hachimura. “So we talked about, we got to kind of use that. I know I can be the screener. I can be in the corner to kind of attack the rim.”
The Lakers’ plan worked, and Hachimura had a fast start, and finished with 18 points and five rebounds. The one player that stood out for the Timberwolves was of course Anthony Edwards, who finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and three assits. Edwards will have those types of games a lot this season, and it’ll be up to players such as Randle to help him.