"When I was still working for the Bulls, I was very impressed with the way you scored. However, for you and your teammates, improving your defense is an inescapable challenge, and you have no choice but to go all out. It's not easy to defend an opponent one-on-one, it's a matter of five people. If one person doesn't do his job well, the whole team looks bad. ”

At halftime, Thibodeau was furious at these boys, and the last ball was naturally thrown by Li Ming.

They are now 12 points behind, and if they want to win in the second half, they must defend! In terms of defense, Wiggins is the part of the team that needs to be improved urgently. Given that teams with a large number of young players tend to be hot-headed on the field and lose power defensively, it is not a bad thing for Wiggins and Towns to be harsh.

So the tone of his speech was not gentle at all, and it was unusually serious.

Especially Wiggins. Wiggins was ranked 68th on a list of the league's 91 shooting guards last season, meaning he couldn't even match the No. 1 bench on other teams.

The data doesn't tell the truth all the time, but it always tells the truth. Compared to individual defense, which relies more on physical talent, Wiggins will give the impression of being casual when he is in a co-defense and team defense. Rebounding ability is a measure of a person's defensive quality, and relying on the speed of the bounce, picking up a few offensive rebounds is not a difficult task for Wiggins. It's a little surprising that Wiggins has a height of 2.03 meters, which is taller than Noah, and Wiggins has only grabbed 2.6 backcourt rebounds per game in two seasons. Looks like Wiggins needs a not-so-gentle voice to push him!

"Get in the groove and hold the damn defensive rebounds in your arms!" After Thibodeau finished scolding, he yelled at Wiggins again!

It can't be helped, this damn guy did surprise him some nights, but more often than not, he brought scare!

If it weren't for his talent being so rebellious, it would be a pity not to use him, Thibodeau would really want to put him on the bench!

I thought that a training would have an effect... Can...

In the next second half, the Timberwolves still couldn't see any improvement, and even the point difference was widened!

In the last few seconds of the third quarter, with LaVine hitting two free throws and Li Ming hitting a shot, the Bulls had a 19-point lead over the Timberwolves at 90-71.

And this point difference has been leading until the end!

That's the end of the game, the Timberwolves have lost again, and they are about to slip to eighth in the West! It's almost a step down to the ninth pick! That's a world of difference for their entire team's pre-season hopes.

Timberwolves head coach Thibodeau knows it's a must-win game. But the form of the players drove him crazy, and he started scolding from the start, all the way to the dressing room at halftime, until the end of the game, but the team still lost. Even many of the Timberwolves' home spectators were disappointed and angry, feeling that the Timberwolves continued to lose tonight's game as if their team didn't deserve a ticket to the playoffs!

Originally, there was a chance to hit the top four rankings and have a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but now the Timberwolves must seriously consider one issue - the playoff qualification that has been determined to be no suspense before, with their careless loss, there are twists and turns!

And all of this is not just because Thibodeau has overused his main players - Wiggins, the champion in 2014, is not to blame!

In the 2014 draft, Andrew Wiggins from the University of Kansas was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick in the first round. In the draft, he defeated the current All-Star starting center - the Great Embiid! At that time, Wiggins's growth template was James!

Next, Wiggins' template James returned to the Cavaliers, and he was sent to the Timberwolves. In his first season, he became the best rookie with 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The outstanding physical talent has made people look at the young Canadian player.

In the following seasons, Wiggins also improved every season, and last season his stats came to 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, which is already a quasi-All-Star statistic.

Last summer, the Timberwolves made a blockbuster recruitment, and dunk king LaVine went to the Bulls in exchange for All-Star Butler. In the Timberwolves, Thibodeau, Gibson, and Butler reunited. And Butler's arrival also added experience and iron-blooded spirit to the young Timberwolves. In the previous regular season, they were in the upper zone for a long time in the fiercely competitive Wild West, and at one point finished third. But with Butler's injury, the Timberwolves' spirit seemed to have been stolen suddenly, and they went all the way down.

Among them, Wiggins' performance is not satisfactory!

In the first half of the season, the Timberwolves played well, but Wiggins ushered in a three-year slump. His stats are only 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists, which is a far cry from last year's performance. And his free throw shooting rate dropped to 64.5%, down 11 percentage points, a career low!

Moreover, a few years have passed, and Wiggins' ball skills and ball quotient have not improved much! He is still playing simply with his amazing innate qualities! As mentioned earlier, when he plays well, he can shoot a half-time shot; When you don't play well, you will have a brainless three-point like today.

There are many people who believe that the main culprit of Wiggins' dismal season is the big contract he signed before the start of this season. In October 2017, Wiggins signed a five-year, $148 million contract extension with the Timberwolves, which took effect in the summer of 2018, and he will receive a high salary of $25.25 million next season! And by the end of his contract in 2023, his salary will be $33.33 million! As it turned out, this big contract was more of a "black hole contract" and he sucked Wiggins' forward momentum! In addition to the decline on the offensive end, Wiggins has now become a black hole for the Timberwolves on the defensive end.

"Li Ming, what do you think of Wiggins... At the press conference after the game, a reporter who didn't think it was a big deal to watch the excitement asked Li Ming questions.

The protagonist of the question is naturally the hero of the Timberwolves' loss in today's game, Wiggins.

To say that sometimes this reporter is really lacking in morality, people are picked up by them! Now that the performance is not up to expectations, these guys are starting to fall into the trap again.

"I think... Li Ming is not so bad, "I think Wiggins' talent is undeniable, and the only thing he may be missing right now is some of his options in shooting... ”