{"id":48131,"date":"2022-07-27T08:30:07","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=48131"},"modified":"2022-07-26T18:42:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T22:42:48","slug":"nba-offseason-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/07\/27\/nba-offseason-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Offseason Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the entire <\/span>NBA universe waits for<\/span><\/a> Donovan Mitchell<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Kevin Durant<\/b><\/a> trades that may never come<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s time to take stock of the flurry of activity that defined the past two weeks of the NBA offseason. We\u2019ve previously discussed the <\/span>biggest winners<\/span><\/a> of the NBA\u2019s free agency period. Now, we move on to the teams that have inspired our biggest questions to be answered this upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n

These teams all made the playoffs last season around young stars but will field revamped rosters next season, and not always by choice. Will those changes lead to improved team success next season or beyond?<\/span><\/p>\n

NBA Offseason Questions<\/h2>\n

Minnesota Timberwolves<\/b><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Minnesota Timberwolves<\/span><\/a>\u2019 <\/span>stunning trade<\/span><\/a> for <\/span>Rudy Gobert<\/b><\/a> this NBA offseason was seismic and will define this franchise for the next decade. The draft assets (detailed in the previous link) are massive, and the Wolves lost shooting with <\/span>Patrick Beverley<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Malik Beasley<\/b><\/a> moving to the <\/span>Utah Jazz<\/span><\/a>. Minnesota built the NBA\u2019s <\/span>seventh-best offense<\/span><\/a> in part by shooting threes <\/span>at the second-highest rate<\/span><\/a> in the league.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaden McDaniels<\/b><\/a> shoots 33.8% from three for his career and will likely start in place of Beverley (a 37.8% career clip). New addition <\/span>Kyle Anderson<\/b><\/a> will further cramp things, as he shoots just 33.4% and replaces Beasley\u2019s 38.6% career mark. Beasley\u2019s absence will be painful as he became one of the top perimeter threats in the league by averaging over eight three-point attempts per game in Minnesota.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wolves hope Gobert\u2019s rim protection will lead to a defensive improvement that more than offsets any decline in offense. It\u2019s inaccurate to compare the Gobert-<\/span>Karl Anthony-Towns<\/b><\/a> duo to the frontcourts with the <\/span>Boston Celtics<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Memphis Grizzlies<\/span><\/a>, however. Those teams play two bigs from a position of strength: all four of <\/span>Al Horford<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Robert Williams<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/b><\/a>, and <\/span>Steven Adams<\/b><\/a> can protect the rim well. Towns allowed the Grizzlies to make 65.4% shots at the rim <\/span>in the playoffs<\/span><\/a>, making him closer to <\/span>Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107<\/b><\/a> than those four on defense.<\/span><\/p>\n

Will Minnesota\u2019s improved defense offset any possible declines on offense? <\/span>Anthony Edwards<\/b><\/a> handling the ball more and turning <\/span>D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/b><\/a> into an off-ball shooter could help. Will that lead to enough winning to justify the Gobert trade? Finding out will be fascinating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks<\/b><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Atlanta Hawks<\/span><\/a> did <\/span>what many wanted<\/span><\/a> this NBA offseason and <\/span>executed a trade<\/span><\/a> that will reshape their team’s identity. <\/span>Dejounte Murray<\/b><\/a> gives Atlanta a second ball-handler to diversify the offense around <\/span>Trae Young<\/b><\/a>. In many ways, this is a lesser version of the Gobert-Minnesota trade. Murray is good but hasn\u2019t matched Gobert\u2019s impact to date. Then again, Atlanta did not have to surrender as many picks. The <\/span>Hawks also traded<\/span><\/a> Kevin Huerter<\/b><\/a> to the <\/span>Sacramento Kings<\/span><\/a> to clear Murray\u2019s way in the starting lineup and replace a draft pick they sent out in the Murray deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Atlanta likely made this move to improve their defense. Murray immediately becomes their best and most reliable perimeter defender, and he can cover for Young much better than Huerter on that end. The deal\u2019s success will be determined by how well the point guards fit offensively. Can Young overhaul his game for the benefit of the team? Murray will need to handle the ball as much or more than Young for the offense to work. Last season, Young\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n