Minnesota Timberwolves Player Review: Taj Gibson

Part nine of the Minnesota Timberwolves player review series examines Taj Gibson, who signed as a free agent last summer before putting up career-best numbers for the Wolves in 2017-18.

When Taj Gibson signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency, many bemoaned the addition as Tom Thibodeau simply trying to get the Chicago Bulls band back together. A fair criticism, as the acquisition came on the heels of trading for Jimmy Butler, and there were plenty of rumors regarding pursuits of former Bulls in the previous months that were fresh in fans’ minds.

But the counterpoint was the Wolves lacked defensive skill and overall toughness, and Gibson added both. At $14 million a year for his age-32 and age-33 seasons, however, skepticism was warranted.

My reaction to the signing was positive overall, and while Gibson is no Paul Millsap (the rumor du jour at the time), the addition wasn’t a bad alternative. From the days after the signing:

"Heading into the off-season, this team needed three things: outside shooting, defensive help, and this abstract thing called toughness. One and a half of those things have been addressed, simply by adding Gibson. No, Teague’s addition does little other than cause the Wolves previously bad three-point shooting to tick a half-notch closer to league-average, but it shores it up just a bit.……let’s not lose sight of the fact that this team is better than it was 72 hours ago, and that cap flexibility remains in just two years: Gibson and Butler each have two years remaining on their deals, and with the rising cap, Thibodeau will have options as he continues to build around Towns and Wiggins."

As it turned out, Gibson started all 82 regular season games and battled through a nerve injury in his neck in the final days of the regular season and throughout five playoff games. He averaged 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game — the second-best totals in each category in Gibson’s nine-year career. His 33.2 minutes per game were easily a career-high as Thibodeau relied on Gibson to anchor his squad’s flimsy defense.

Gibson was typically solid on defense, while the switchability that made him a hot commodity on the free agent market was largely passable, although the nearly-33-year-old is beginning to slow down and his lateral movement will only continue to wane.

Surprisingly, Gibson shot less mid-range jumpers than he had in each of the past few seasons, but shot 44.2 percent from between 10 and 16 feet, his best mark in that range since the 2011-12 season. And while he is obviously not a dynamic offensive player, Gibson was good enough in the pick-and-roll and in the post to be an all-around plus player for the Wolves.

Gibson was vital to the Wolves defense, and while Gorgui Dieng is more than a serviceable backup big man, Thibodeau’s scheme often fell apart without Gibson on the court, regardless of if it was Karl-Anthony Towns or Dieng at the center position. Because of this, the veteran power forward was stretched thin and overplayed, which no doubt played into his wearing down as the season wrapped up.

One year and $14 million remains on Gibson’s contract, and it’s fair to assume that he will be the starting power forward once again come October. While it seems unlikely that Thibodeau’s defensive quarterback would be moved in an offseason trade, the Wolves will need to start thinking about who the power forward of the future might be to play alongside Towns in the coming years.

Next: Timberwolves Player Review: Jeff Teague

All things considered, Gibson’s addition was necessary in what was overall a successful season for the Timberwolves. He was a durable constant for the Wolves in their starting lineup, and fans can expect more of the same during the 2018-19 season as Gibson plays out the final year of his contract.