Jaylen Nowell Deserves To Be In Minnesota's Rotation

Entering Saturday's matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, many thought the Minnesota Timberwolves would make light work of their undermanned Northwest Division rivals. But the Trail Blazers came into the Target Center against a Wolves team down two starters, believing they could win.

When the first half of basketball concluded, the Wolves faced a one-point deficit to a Portland squad full of G-Leaguers. The majority of the game seemed to be a back-and-forth contest between the world, as the All-Star center appeared to be the only Wolf able to find a rhythm early on.

D'Angelo Russell finished with a career-high 15 assists but seemed to have trouble finding his shot. Malik Beasley looked like he was in for a big offensive night but was ejected for “headbutting” Portland’s Drew Eubanks. Minnesota could only rely on KAT for so much and was in desperate need of scoring from elsewhere.

Cue Mr. Big Tymah himself, Jaylen Nowell.

Nowell started the game off with a three-second violation, but he appeared unfazed when he checked in cold at the 6:15 mark of the third. Within his first four minutes of playing time in the second half, Nowell was able to knock down two catch-and-shoot threes off assists. When Towns checked out of the game with just over two minutes left in the third, the Wolves’ three-point lead seemed to be hanging on by just a thread.

But Nowell wasn’t going to let that happen. He just had to find his moment. With just 34 seconds left on the clock, Nowell came off a Jaden McDaniels off-ball screen, received the ball from Jordan McLaughlin, and finished with a strong left-handed layup. Nowell got the whistle and the foul. Nowell then created a nearly impossible 2-for-1 opportunity with his next play: 6.3 seconds stood on the clock after Brandon Williams scored on a floater. But No. 4 only needed four seconds to hit an absolute bomb over the top of not one, but two Portland players to finish out the quarter.

Jaylen Nowell ridiculous end-of-quarter transition pull-up 3 pic.twitter.com/IXzREJBMbH

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 6, 2022

Nowell finished the game with 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half of regulation. But a game like last Saturday’s is nothing new for the third-year guard. Time and time again this season, the Wolves coaching staff has called on him to come in and provide immediate scoring off of the bench. With a knack for creating his own shot off the dribble and hitting the open 3, Nowell’s offensive game allows the Timberwolves to rest Russell and Anthony Edwards. Minnesota can play the same brand of basketball sans DLo or Ant, similar to how Naz Reid slides into KAT’s offensive role.

But Nowell’s role with the team hasn’t exactly been steady. In just the first six games of the season, Jaylen tallied a total of five DNPs. Fast forward to the end of January, and the former Washington Husky saw his first career NBA start. And exactly one month after his first-ever starting performance, Nowell received yet another DNP during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For starters, he’s sort of a ‘tweener: Is he a point guard? Is he a shooting guard? Given his ball-dominant shot-creating playstyle, it’s often hard to tell at times.

On top of his lack of position, there are only so many minutes to go around. And while it looked like he would be the designated third-string point guard, that all came crashing down with the resurgence of the 5’10” phenom McLaughlin. And shooting guard Beasley’s looking like the player he was when he first arrived from Denver.

With a game like he had Saturday, I’d love to say I think Nowell will get more run soon. Hell, before receiving a Josh Hart to the elbow to the face early on in Monday night’s epic game, it seemed as though he might. But with the playoffs just around the corner, it’s likely we see Finch tightening up the team’s rotations even more.

Jaylen Nowell is down on the court after a frightening collision with Josh Hart. Beverley and Towns showing a lot of concern. Nowell took an inadvertent elbow to the chin from Hart.

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) March 8, 2022

Regardless, Nowell helps the Timberwolves win when he’s been on the floor. In the 47 games Nowell has played this season, Minnesota has gone 29-18 while averaging 116.3 PPG. The 19 games Jaylen didn’t see the floor? The Pups went 6-13 with only 109.7 PPG. And it’s not just his own scoring that helps the Timberwolves. The team’s rebounds, assists, steals, FG%, and 3P% are all up as well in the games Nowell has played in.

Nowell deserves to be a regular part of this team’s rotation. He’s one of the only guards off the team’s bench who can slide into either DLo or Ant’s role. Nowell is also one of the only players who can come into a game at any given moment, completely cold off the bench, and provide his team with a scoring outburst of 22 points in only 24 minutes.

You’d think at some point that there would be some sort of rumor from a player in Jaylen’s situation that he is displeased with his given role. It happens quite often. A player’s camp is unhappy with their allotted time and is looking to be moved in the upcoming offseason. But not Nowell. He simply shows up to work and is ready anytime his number is called. That’s a true professional. And that’s a player this Minnesota Timberwolves team needs to have out on the floor every night.

Jaylen Nowell doesn’t deserve DNPs

— Brooks Davis (@NotBrooksDavis) December 9, 2021