Minnesota Timberwolves Shortcomings: Defense
Predictably, the Wolves have struggled defensively to this point in the season. From bad fouls to simply leaving shooters wide open, this team has struggled to the No. 27 ranking in defensive rating through the first 15 games of their season.
There have been a few individual players who have struggled mightily with giving cheap fouls. For instance, Naz Reid and Jarrett Culver have been prone to shot-fakes and committing bad fouls.
Looked like Ryan Saunders wanted to roll with a 9-man rotation tonight, but Naz Reid picked up three early fouls, and now it's Jarred Vanderbilt time.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 6, 2021
Vanderbilt's first minutes of the season when the game isn't already out of hand.
On the one hand, it’s somewhat understandable that the Wolves are getting called for some petty fouls; they are the youngest team in the NBA, and their one true superstar, Karl-Anthony Towns, has only appeared in four games.
The Wolves also struggle with executing their coverages consistently, leading to wide-open shooters behind the arc and easy dunks and layups in the paint.
Even though there are many things to be negative about on defense, there are still some positives and silver linings.
Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell are both playing the best defense of their careers this season.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 21, 2021
And yes, the Wolves are still 3-9 and bad -- blah, blah, blah. But watch the film on KAT and DLo on D. The issues are elsewhere.
Towns has shown more effort on defense this season; while it doesn’t tell the whole story, KAT has averaged 2.8 blocks per game. D’Angelo Russell has also improved defensively and is leading the team in steals, although he’s still had plenty of lapses on the perimeter.
Of course, there are a few players that are expected to play well on defense, namely Ricky Rubio and Josh Okogie. New starter Jarred Vanderbilt has played aggressive basketball on both ends of the court and has been solid defensively, which is a clear breath of fresh air for the team.
Obviously, there are still some growing pains on both ends of the floor and the team needs to work together better, but once they start to figure that out, the Wolves should improve.