Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 Issues that need to be addressed

3. Chemistry

The Minnesota Timberwolves are better than 10-7.

It’s been an exciting year, but Wolves fans shouldn’t be satisfied with a 10-7 record. The majority of the Wolves’ losses have come against inferior teams (at least, on paper). 

With all of the firepower on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster, the team has underperformed. The same Wolves team doesn’t show up for every game. 

The Timberwolves need to figure out how to play as a team all game long, every single game. Ultimately, that comes down to chemistry. There’s no stat that we can point to and say, “Once they figure out ‘X,’ the Wolves will be all set.” Chemistry is one of those intangible characteristics that all great NBA teams possess.

Chemistry isn’t something that comes together overnight, but with 17 games under their belt, the Wolves need to start playing up to their full potential. One of the biggest indicators of a lack of chemistry has been the recurrence of back-to-back losses.

After the Wolves were dismantled by the Indiana Pacers in October, I was hopeful that they would bounce back with a big win over the Detroit Pistons. Instead, the opposite happened. After a loss to the Warriors, the Wolves dropped the following game to a weak Phoenix Suns team. Then, this past Sunday and Monday, the Wolves did it again, losing back-to-back games against the Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets.

Six out of the Wolves’ seven losses have come in pairs. This suggests that the Wolves haven’t quite developed a winning mentality as a team. After a frustrating pair of losses this past week, the next few games will be a huge test of the Wolves’ chemistry.