The Minnesota Timberwolves followed up their best performance of the season, a 39-point drubbing of the Dallas Mavericks, with, by leaps and bounds, their worst game of the year in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Even though the Bulls played in overtime the night before and, due to a nationwide grounding of planes, needed to fly into Minneapolis the morning of the game (a rarity in the NBA), the Wolves were unable to match the energy of their opponent.

1. A putrip performance from top to bottom

Last season, the Timberwolves, by their own admission, did not take the regular season seriously. They regularly played down to the level of their opponents, and there was talk of waiting for the Playoffs to begin as early as mid-December.

In many ways, it was the Timberwolves' Achilles' heel. They could beat anyone on any given night, but could also lose just about any game. The Wolves could eliminate outstanding teams, but in no way built the proper habits or consistency needed to win four straight playoff series.

This offseason, there appeared to be a mea culpa. The Wolves realized that what they were doing was unsustainable and that change needed to happen. Some of the transformation came with the trades of Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball, but most would need to come from internal growth among individual players, especially those at the top of the pecking order.

So far, that is exactly what has happened. From the team's bonding trip to Paris and numerous intense offseason workouts to the outstanding start to the season on the court, the Timberwolves looked like a completely remade team.

This game against the Bulls was the first reversion to old habits. With a long win streak in hand, they played down to the level of their opponent and got punished for it. After the game, there were numerous quotes that sounded all too familiar.

Chris Finch called the Wolves' play "disappointing" and a "really unacceptable performance." Jaden McDaniels said the team "just came out slow" and Ball pointed to "energy and hustle" and said he thought the Bulls "just hit first and that was the game."

Ultimately, it is just a single bad game. Every team has nights where the energy and attention to detail just isn't there. The performance is incredibly frustrating nonetheless, but by itself it isn't indicative that these are just the same old Timberwolves.

What will be interesting to watch is how the Timberwolves respond. In the past, it might take the team a game or two to turn their play back around or, if they have a positive outing the next night, the energy would immediately revert to being inconsistent in the following stretch of games.

The Wolves can no longer afford to repeat their sins of the past. Not just because they are playing without Anthony Edwards in a hellacious Western Conference, but because who they were before proved not to be nearly good enough.

2. LaMelo Ball's shot selection

Since Edwards went down, Ball has been one of the Wolves' biggest catalysts, as they went 6-2 without their superstar. For one night against the Bulls, he looked like the type of player his doubters have painted him as.

Ball had his worst shooting game since arriving in Minnesota, as he went 7-for-25 from the field, including a staggering 4-for-19 from beyond the arc. Some of the looks came within the flow of the offense, but many were ill-advised shots on step-backs with plenty of time left on the shot clock.

"You want him to stay confident in his shot," Finch said of Ball's three-point volume. "But I do also think that there were plenty of opportunities to get to the paint. Not just for him, but for others too."

The lack of paint touches is as big an issue as the number of missed three-pointers. Ball's most valuable skill during Minnesota's five-game win streak was him driving into the paint and either finishing at the rim or finding open teammates. That was non-existent on Saturday night.

The Wolves, as a team, struggled to shoot the ball as they went 9-for-38 from deep while the Bulls went 14-for-30. While some of that can be explained away by variance, using that as an excuse would undersell the number of poor shots the Timberwolves attempted against the Bulls.

3. Rudy Gobert goes without a made shot yet again

The Timberwolves have the best defense in the NBA. The primary reason for that is Rudy Gobert. He is one of the more valuable players on the Wolves roster, but for the fourth time this season, he finished a game without a single made field goal.

Gobert missed all seven of his shot attempts in the game and finished with just a single point after splitting a pair of free throws. Gobert has been one of the most efficient shot-makers in NBA history, but he has weirdly struggled in that area so far this season.

"He hasn’t been able to finish," Finch said of Gobert. "He’s getting stripped. He’s missing layups. He’s not finishing strong. He’s gotta get on-balance, collect, and finish strong. Sometimes it’s gonna be through contact. We need him to get his finishing back around the paint."

The Wolves' ceiling with this roster remains one where Gobert is on the floor. He provides so much value on the defensive end and with his rebounding that lowering Gobert's involvement would most likely lead ot a lesser team.

Gobert's teammates have been getting more comfortable getting him the ball; now it is up to Gobert to finish those looks before the larger questions about his fit overwhelm what has largely been a solid beginning to the Timberwolves' season.