Well before Timberwolves guard Randy Foye ever set foot on the basketball court for the 2008-09 NBA season, his third as a professional, he went back to school. Foye’s homework was to watch a highlight reel especially prepared for him by Wolves staff for him to review, absorb and digest.
The subject was NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul. The content was assist after assist after assist from last year, at least a hundred or two, from Paul’s dynamic 2007-08 season. Even though Foye was on the couch and Paul was on the screen, you could say the Timberwolves guard was schooled. “He made the right decisions,” Foye said of Paul. “If the defense stopped him, he kicked it out. If they didn’t stop him, he took it to the basket. It’s all about making the right decisions.”
Foye, the student, quickly grasped the moral of the story.
In his third season with the Timberwolves, Foye is having his best season yet. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging more than 15 points per game. He recently matched his career scoring high with 32 points in the Wolves’ win over Oklahoma City on Jan. 7. Just as important, if not more, Foye’s distribution totals lead the Wolves with a team- and career-high 4.8 assists. While Foye’s increase in production has not translated into increased totals in the win column, the Timberwolves are encouraged by the steady improvement by the 2006 first-round draft pick.
“I’m just more comfortable,” Foye said. “Last year I came in and I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders because we just traded KG. I played really well for a rookie (in 2006-07) and a lot of people were turning to me and saying ‘All right, let’s see what you’ve got now.’ And I don’t think I was ready for that last year.
“I know that I just have to go out there, let the shots come to me, play off my teammates, and let things happen.”
Foye was drafted seventh overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, who immediately traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers, who later that night dealt him to Minnesota for Brandon Roy. While the success for his trade counterpart has come quickly in the NBA, Foye’s progress has been more methodical.
At East Side High School in Newark, Foye was named the New Jersey Player of the Year. Foye took his skills from Jersey to nearby Philadelphia where he had an illustrious college career at Villanova. As a senior, he averaged 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, earning him Big East Player of the Year honors. He capped his college career by helping ‘Nova reach the Elite Eight of the 2006 NCAA tournament.
As a Wolves rookie, Foye played all 82 games averaging 10.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. A left knee injury cost him half a season last year. He played the second half of the season averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. This year, his third in the league, he has upped each of those averages a bit. While far from dramatic, it’s the steady progress after a slow start for Foye this season that encourages Wolves coach Kevin McHale.
“Randy started off a little bit tentative (this year),” McHale said. “And with Randy, it’s just a matter of getting him going and getting him to be aggressive and attack the hole. But it’s just like all players, when you’re comfortable and you know what the coach wants of you, you end up playing better.
“He is the guy that plays on the ball and off the ball. We need him to attack and go out there and get to the rim for us. Basically, just play aggressive basketball for us.”
It was tough to do earlier this year when Foye was one of many Wolves struggling from the outside.
“It’s definitely frustrating because I was one of those guys that was looked upon to knock down shots,” Foye said. “I really can’t explain it. It’s tough. Last year, I was saying to myself, ‘Man, I know I can help the team more.”
Equally as frustrating to McHale was how the offensive woes were affecting players on the defensive end of the court.
“That’s a big bugaboo with our team and Randy falls into that,” McHale said. “There are times where if things aren’t going real well offensively they tend to hang their head a little bit as opposed to digging in on the defensive end. Part of that is just being young and part of that is the grind of the NBA. We have gone through it (recently) where our schedule has just been brutal. But the young guys have got to understand that every night you have got to go out there and play. That said, overall I have been very, very pleased with Randy.”
Admittedly, as a young player, blocking out the distractions can be difficult, especially on a team that hasn’t enjoyed much success.
“One of the biggest things is whenever I am out there, I am going to try and compete no matter what is going on,” Foye said. “No matter if I just shot an airball or if I am 0-for-10 on the night, I’m going to always try and compete.”
Entering this month, Foye had started in 27 of 32 games he has played in this year. When asked if he is a point guard or a shooting guard, answers vary. McHale calls him a “combo guard.” When asked whether he is a point guard or shooting guard, Foye shrugs his shoulders.
“It really doesn’t matter to me, I just see myself as a guard,” Foye said. “I just go out there and whatever they ask me, I do. If they want me to pass the ball, I pass it. If they want me to score, I’ll try to score. If they want me to lock down the best player on the other team, then I’m going to try and do it.”
That approach has helped him deliver his best season as a Wolf yet.
“I feel much better,” Foye said. “My shooting percentage has gone up. Playing with the guys, learning the guys, knowing where I’m going to get shots in the offense is helping me out a lot. The more we practice, the more we prepare, and the more we go through certain situations, the more I’ll be prepared when they put me in different situations during the game.”
Foye tries to maintain a positive attitude. Naturally, that can be tough when the playoffs appear out of reach for the third consecutive season of his career.
“It’s tough, but at the same time we are building something here,” said Foye, who EA Sports NBA Live ‘09 predicted would be the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season. “And you know like everybody says, ‘Rome wasn’t built overnight.’ So we’re just going to try and make it happen here.”
The subject was NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul. The content was assist after assist after assist from last year, at least a hundred or two, from Paul’s dynamic 2007-08 season. Even though Foye was on the couch and Paul was on the screen, you could say the Timberwolves guard was schooled. “He made the right decisions,” Foye said of Paul. “If the defense stopped him, he kicked it out. If they didn’t stop him, he took it to the basket. It’s all about making the right decisions.”
Foye, the student, quickly grasped the moral of the story.
In his third season with the Timberwolves, Foye is having his best season yet. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging more than 15 points per game. He recently matched his career scoring high with 32 points in the Wolves’ win over Oklahoma City on Jan. 7. Just as important, if not more, Foye’s distribution totals lead the Wolves with a team- and career-high 4.8 assists. While Foye’s increase in production has not translated into increased totals in the win column, the Timberwolves are encouraged by the steady improvement by the 2006 first-round draft pick.
“I’m just more comfortable,” Foye said. “Last year I came in and I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders because we just traded KG. I played really well for a rookie (in 2006-07) and a lot of people were turning to me and saying ‘All right, let’s see what you’ve got now.’ And I don’t think I was ready for that last year.
“I know that I just have to go out there, let the shots come to me, play off my teammates, and let things happen.”
Foye was drafted seventh overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, who immediately traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers, who later that night dealt him to Minnesota for Brandon Roy. While the success for his trade counterpart has come quickly in the NBA, Foye’s progress has been more methodical.
At East Side High School in Newark, Foye was named the New Jersey Player of the Year. Foye took his skills from Jersey to nearby Philadelphia where he had an illustrious college career at Villanova. As a senior, he averaged 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, earning him Big East Player of the Year honors. He capped his college career by helping ‘Nova reach the Elite Eight of the 2006 NCAA tournament.
As a Wolves rookie, Foye played all 82 games averaging 10.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. A left knee injury cost him half a season last year. He played the second half of the season averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. This year, his third in the league, he has upped each of those averages a bit. While far from dramatic, it’s the steady progress after a slow start for Foye this season that encourages Wolves coach Kevin McHale.
“Randy started off a little bit tentative (this year),” McHale said. “And with Randy, it’s just a matter of getting him going and getting him to be aggressive and attack the hole. But it’s just like all players, when you’re comfortable and you know what the coach wants of you, you end up playing better.
“He is the guy that plays on the ball and off the ball. We need him to attack and go out there and get to the rim for us. Basically, just play aggressive basketball for us.”
It was tough to do earlier this year when Foye was one of many Wolves struggling from the outside.
“It’s definitely frustrating because I was one of those guys that was looked upon to knock down shots,” Foye said. “I really can’t explain it. It’s tough. Last year, I was saying to myself, ‘Man, I know I can help the team more.”Equally as frustrating to McHale was how the offensive woes were affecting players on the defensive end of the court.
“That’s a big bugaboo with our team and Randy falls into that,” McHale said. “There are times where if things aren’t going real well offensively they tend to hang their head a little bit as opposed to digging in on the defensive end. Part of that is just being young and part of that is the grind of the NBA. We have gone through it (recently) where our schedule has just been brutal. But the young guys have got to understand that every night you have got to go out there and play. That said, overall I have been very, very pleased with Randy.”
Admittedly, as a young player, blocking out the distractions can be difficult, especially on a team that hasn’t enjoyed much success.
“One of the biggest things is whenever I am out there, I am going to try and compete no matter what is going on,” Foye said. “No matter if I just shot an airball or if I am 0-for-10 on the night, I’m going to always try and compete.”
Entering this month, Foye had started in 27 of 32 games he has played in this year. When asked if he is a point guard or a shooting guard, answers vary. McHale calls him a “combo guard.” When asked whether he is a point guard or shooting guard, Foye shrugs his shoulders.
“It really doesn’t matter to me, I just see myself as a guard,” Foye said. “I just go out there and whatever they ask me, I do. If they want me to pass the ball, I pass it. If they want me to score, I’ll try to score. If they want me to lock down the best player on the other team, then I’m going to try and do it.”
That approach has helped him deliver his best season as a Wolf yet.
“I feel much better,” Foye said. “My shooting percentage has gone up. Playing with the guys, learning the guys, knowing where I’m going to get shots in the offense is helping me out a lot. The more we practice, the more we prepare, and the more we go through certain situations, the more I’ll be prepared when they put me in different situations during the game.”
Foye tries to maintain a positive attitude. Naturally, that can be tough when the playoffs appear out of reach for the third consecutive season of his career.
“It’s tough, but at the same time we are building something here,” said Foye, who EA Sports NBA Live ‘09 predicted would be the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season. “And you know like everybody says, ‘Rome wasn’t built overnight.’ So we’re just going to try and make it happen here.”
