Newest Wolf Juliukola Randlić shines, and Ant Looks Like A 90s Shooting Guard
MINNEAPOLIS – March 12, 2025
Rudy Returns (Briefly, and Brilliantly)
Rudy Gobert returned from his ten-game absence, but it was less of a return and more of a cameo—the kind that wins an Emmy. In just 19 minutes of play, Rudy dropped 16 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, stole the ball twice, and posted a team-high BPM of +18.
Ant Shoots Like A 90s Shooting Guard
Anthony Edwards, who leads the league in made threes (averaging 10 attempts this season), had a quiet night beyond the arc by taking half his season average and making two of them yet still managed to drop 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Edwards’ performance drew comparisons to a 90s shooting guard—no, not that one… just, like, any of them. Except Edwards didn’t have the luxury of defenses clearing out half of the court to avoid a technical foul for illegal defense.
Avoiding illegal defense in the 90s:
Honestly, 2-of-5 from three is basically All-Star level marksmanship by 90s standards. Which raises the question: why are so many obsessed with an era where shooting 38% was considered “automatic” and the best players of the decade couldn't dribble with their off-hand.
3PT Shooting Now vs. 3PT Shooting Then
Anyway… Ant was calm, collected, and keeping Vegas odds-makers on their toes.
Jaylen Clark & the Rest of the Rookies
Wolves rookies got Finch's classic “you can come in once the game is decided” treatment, with only Jaylen Clark seeing any real time — 13 minutes; posting a performance that the box score won’t hype, but Wolves fans and the coaching staff have come to love from the 2nd-year rookie — 1 steal and 1-for-1 from 3 and some great perimeter defense.
Meanwhile, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle played like someone trying to remind folks why he was a lottery pick and looking a lot like Ja Morant, if he had a 10:30 PM curfew. Castle scored 20 points, grabbed 7 boards, and dished 4 assists on 15 shots—a solid line in a game where the Spurs played defense like it was illegal (akin to 90s defense).
Naz Reid Benched
Naz Reid returned to the Sixth-man role where he won the honor of 6MOTY (Sixth-man-of-the-year) last season. 20 points on 15 shots, smooth touch, no wasted motion, and the kind of low-key dominance that has Wolves fans whispering, “Is Naz Reid the greatest shooting big man of all time?” and then quickly apologizing to KAT.
Julius Randle Does Jokic Cosplay
But perhaps the most intriguing ongoing performances comes from Julius Randle, who continues to moonlight as Nikola Jokic while the actual Joker gets ready to defend his MVP crown against Minnesota Wednesday (3/12, 9 PM CST).
Randle notched 10 assists, his third straight game with at least nine dimes, and nearly pulled off his third near-triple-double in just his fifth game back from a groin injury—the same injury LeBron just suffered against the Celtics (RIP to the West’s 2 seed?).
If Randle was any more Jokic, he’d start feeding horses and seemingly speaking in riddles at postgame interviews. Instead, he talked with reporters on how winning is the only focus right now.
Up Next: A Real Test
Next the Wolves get a real opponent: the Nuggets. On ESPN. In prime time. Wednesday night. 9 PM Central. Rudy gets Jokic. Ant gets Jamal. And Randle gets the chance to officially out-Joker the Joker.
Grab your popcorn, and maybe a neck pillow—it’s going to be a late one.
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