Keys to the Wolf Den: Jonny Flynn Against Other Rookies and the Triangle

"It was in the fourth quarter. I drove to the hole in a close game and Kevin Garnett kind of hit me on the ground and blocked my shot, stood over me and said a few choice words I can't repeat," Flynn said. "That was my welcome to the NBA moment right there."

Jonny Flynn's road to the NBA has been a tough one, as it is for any rookie. For a player that has just turned 20, ran pick and rolls playing for Syracuse, and a player that's used to winning, Jonny Flynn has not let up, and his positivity and character are essential for the Wolves locker room.

Jonny Flynn speaks on the triangle offense:

"It's definitely hard," Flynn said. "Just like if you're a reporter you have a writing style that you wrote your whole entire life and then somebody comes in and says you have to change it a little bit, or you have to change what you're doing. It's tough."

Currently, there are only two teams that run the triangle offense, and that's the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet there are 30 teams in the league.

From a general understanding, the triangle offense is based on reads and rhythm, spacing and cutting. Guards primarily play in the post, while the forwards on the wing. Other than Al Jefferson, who's the starting Center, all other positions are interchangeable.

Jonny Flynn has been playing very well if you consider the triangle offense to be complicated for a young point guard. Head coach Kurt Rambis has said on a numerous occassion, that the point guard position is the hardest to learn in the NBA.

While that may be true, Jonny Flynn has started to flourish little by little as the season goes on.

Jonny Flynn's statistics: 13.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1 SPG in 29 MPG, shooting 43percent from the field and 32 percent from the three-point line.

Among the top five rookies according to NBA.com, Jonny Flynn ranks No. 3 overall. That list entails Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry and Ty Lawson, all guards for their respective teams.

While Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings are consensus rookie of the year candidates, Jonny Flynn buzz has slowly been deteriorating due to the success of the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks. Flynn also has been getting six minutes less playing time than Evans and Jennings.

Both Evans and Jennings are averaging 35 MPG.

Jonny Flynn's numbers at 35 MPG: 16.3 PPG, 5.1 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1 SPG

Although his scoring has gone down as of late, his assist average has doubled from the month of November to December from three to six, while turning the ball over at an average of three, down one from his peak this season so far.

“I’m in the triangle now and it’s going to make me a better player learning this offense and learning how to get mine off of catches and shoots and running the floor and things like that,” Flynn said, before admitting: “But I’d rather be running pick-and-rolls."

Jonny Flynn at one point was averaging two TO's more than assists, but over his last five games, his assist to TO ratio is three-to-one.

Although the transistion from college player to pro is a tough one, even I would have thought that Jonny would give the Wolves an even bigger boost that he has.

"He's definitely trying his best," T-Wolves forward Kevin Love said. "For a guy like that you got to try to let him be a little bit creative, and I think in the triangle offense statistically and historically I don't think the point guard has been the guy that's scored the most points or got the most assists. So he's been having to find his way a little bit and try to pull it back. But his worth is a lot more than some of the statistics show."

Progress is among the Wolves, as Jonny Flynn is easily giving the Wolves what Sebastian Telfair gave them a year ago, and more.

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P.S- Check out my article on KEVIN LOVE'S POTENTIAL ON FANHUDDLE!