2. Self-scouting
The Timberwolves literally turned over half their roster via three trades between mid-January and the February trade deadline. Newcomers Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez have each played just 14 games in a Wolves uniform, and D’Angelo Russell has only appeared in 12.
Beasley and Hernangomez have played a grand total of two games alongside Towns, and Russell only one.
While the layoff is ultimately a negative development in terms of seeing the revamped roster get on the court together, it does give the front office and coaching staff plenty of time to review the tape from the 14 post-deadline games that have been played with new members of the rotation.
Everyone knows that the Wolves have a potent offense. A team with Towns, Russell and Beasley in the starting lineup won’t have any issues scoring. The question marks are primarily defensively and on the glass.
This team has struggled to rebound the ball all season. Early in the year, it was largely due to the undersized Robert Covington playing the 4. More recently, it’s been due to Towns’ injury and the combination of the inexperience of undrafted rookie Naz Reid and the miscast James Johnson playing the 5.
Can the Wolves survive with Hernangomez at the 4 and some combination of Josh Okogie and Jarrett Culver at the 3? Beasley is a below-average rebounder for a 2, and while Russell is an okay rebounder for his position, there are still question marks.
Of course, defensive rebounding is essentially one facet of the larger picture on the defensive end of the floor, and the trio of Russell, Beasley and Towns are all below-average defenders individually. Okogie is above-average, and Hernangomez largely can hold his own.
But can that mix of players work for long stretches? Again, it’s hard to evaluate with Towns only playing a pair of games with Beasley and Hernangomez, but the Wolves still need to make decisions on the pair of former Nuggets when they both hit free agency this summer.
This is the perfect time for Wolves brass to evaluate if they can mold much of the existing roster into a capable defensive team.