Among all the teams competing in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves has been one of the busiest starting off-season.
After losing a playoffs battle against the gritty Memphis Grizzlies and eventually finishing the 2021-22 season with a 46-36 slate, the Timberwolves have since been shaking up its roster, trading and acquiring players here and there, which includes the addition of 6’2″ sharpshooter Bryn Forbes.
As per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, Forbes and the Timberwolves have agreed to a one-year minimum contract in early July, terms undisclosed. A reliable 3-point shooter, can Forbes’ services be enough in conquering the space in the Timberwolves’ roster and help increase the team’s odds in 2022?
Hot-Handed Hotshot
Forbes, statistically speaking, has been regarded as one of the most reliable shooters in the league. With him joining the Timberwolves’ den, Forbes is expected to fill in the gap 6’4″ veteran Malik Beasley has left in the team.
Despite being undrafted in 2016, Forbes, then 26, spent quite some time in the Spurs’ training camp before eventually making it to the team’s roster. In his four years with the Spurs, he posted an average of 8.9 points per game, along with 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, considerably an outstanding output despite playing limited minutes.
The Michigan State alumnus won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, generating an average of 10.0 points per game, 1.6 rebounds, highlighted by a 45% beyond-the-arc shooting efficiency.
In the same season, Forbes also gave Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler a run for his money, outscoring the latter in a first-round playoffs sweep. The game was considered by some fans as their “favorite stats”, with the then-Milwaukee Bucks baller flexing in 16 3-pointers in the series, making up 80% of his output.
Happy birthday, @BrynjForbes!
Check out his impressive #NBASummer highlights after averaging 26 PPG with the @spurs! pic.twitter.com/8oxxh7mO9c
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) July 23, 2017
Short Stints At Spurs And Nuggets
The 29-year-old hotshot took his talents back to the San Antonio Spurs the following season, appearing in 40 games with an average of 43.2 shooting success rate highlighted by a 41.7 percent efficiency on three-pointers. Despite playing limited minutes for the team, an average of 17, the guard could have had his third beyond-the-40-percent-mark success rate on three-pointers in the last four years.
However, in an unexpected mid-season move, the Spurs officially ended his second hitch with the team, trading him to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team deal joined by the Boston Celtics.
Eventually, playing for an injury-laden Nuggets squad, the hot-handed hotshot delivered the goods for the team, generating a 41.0% efficiency on three-pointers, playing off the bench, in the regular season before settling with a comparatively lower 36.4% efficiency in a 5-game losing playoffs battle against the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors.
In his third straight off-season being a free agent, his services were tapped by the highly-anticipated Timberwolves. Before Forbes’ addition, the team had already made huge, notable moves off-season, including the acquisition of three-time Defensive Player of the Year and then-Jazz star Rudy Gobert in exchange for the trade of guards Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the draft rights to center Walker Kessler, along with a couple of first-round picks. The team has also tapped the services of former Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch as the new voice of the team.
REPORT: Bryn Forbes is signing with the Timberwolves, via The Athletic. pic.twitter.com/PD5iG4ealV
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 2, 2022
Room For Improvement
Impressive numbers don’t always impress spectators — at least for some of them. After signing with the promising Timberwolves, people have pointed out fields Forbes will have to work on to earn more playing time than what he had in his previous teams.
Statistically speaking, the 6-foot-2 baller’s offensive efficiency is fine, proven by insanely consistent marks every game. However, as much as he is a monster offensively, his defense shows otherwise. Despite being undersized and less athletic than his counterparts, he will have to work on his defense in order to eventually fill in the space in the team.
In the past five seasons of the league, Forbes produced three of the worst defense RAPTOR scores. To earn his desired playing time and eventually become a starter, the 6’2″ guard must let his defensive efficiency keep up with his offense accuracy.
To add to the challenge, he can also never let his shooting efficiency falter as the Timberwolves lost veteran Malik Beasley in their acquisition of then-Jazz star Gobert, heavily relying on his consistently high shooting efficiency. On the brighter side, he has been a great off-the-bench contributor and is still one of the NBA’s most lethal shooters.
Bryn Forbes 3P%, by season:
– 2018-19: 42.6%
– 2019-20: 38.8%
– 2020-21: 45.2%
– 2021-22: 41.4%– Career: 41.3% (706/1711)
Bryn Forbes is a knockdown shooter, replicating some of what Malik Beasley brought to MN at a fraction of the price.
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) July 2, 2022
On Recent Performances
Almost two weeks before their first game this season, the Timberwolves’ off-season trades and acquisitions seemed to finally pay off, now standing at 2-0 in the preseason games. Forbes, playing off-the-bench in both games, managed to deliver 15 and 7 points, respectively. Defense, in particular, still have to be worked on. Good thing, Forbes still has a couple of games to prove himself worthy of the acquisition.
With Finch, Timberwolves’ new head coach, still finding the best starter combination for his team, can Forbes put up a fight in the battle for a starting position?
Bryn Forbes with the triple 🎯pic.twitter.com/mH8utSTnTg
— Timberwolves Nation (@TWolvesNationCP) October 5, 2022
Final Thoughts
With such a promising career so far, Forbes will definitely find a way to consistently contribute to the Timberwolves squad and conquer the open space in the team. The Timberwolves will surely give teams a run for their money this season, especially with Gobert’s addition, recovering Towns’ comeback, and new yet proven deliverers, including Forbes, leading the team.
The Timberwolves will first see action on October 20 against the Oklahoma Thunder.
Credits On Featured Image: SneakinDeacon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
