The 2020-21 NBA season marks D'Angelo Russell and Juancho Hernangomez's first full season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spaniard did not waste time building that chemistry by trolling the guard during his photoshoot.
Peep the video below to see Hernangomez's play-by-play commentary of Russell's photoshoot. It certainly wasn't' necessary. But it was enough to make Russell smile and more importantly, provide us some entertainment from the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves definitely need to build that chemistry given the roster changes they've made over the last few seasons. Chemistry has always been the critical component of any team looking to become contenders.
So far, the Timberwolves are off to a great start. In their first game of the 2020-21 NBA season, they defeated the Detroit Pistons, 111-101. Russell, who's been a starter for most of his career, came off the bench and dropped 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists across 33 minutes. Hernangomez played 12 minutes and was able to snag three rebounds.
Russell coming off the bench wasn't necessarily a change in his role. Reports reveal that delays in the 24-year-old's COVID-19 test results was the main cause. Therefore, he wasn't able to participate in the morning shootaround. Ricky Rubio, who's back with the Timberwolves, took his place.
Analysts still tag the Timberwolves as an up and coming team. Their realistic goal is to qualify for the playoffs and build it from there. But the Wolves have the complete set of tools to achieve this. They have two All-Stars in Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Malik Beasley, too, is developing into one of the finest offensive gunners today.
All these things considered, the Timberwolves have a pretty good shot at making the postseason for the second time in 17 seasons. The Western Conference is loaded, but Minnesota might have the right approach needed to break through.