3 reasons to remain optimistic about the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the worst record in the NBA. By almost any account, the 2020-21 season to this point has been an unmitigated disaster.

But there are always silver linings to be had. And as much as Wolves fans are sick of trying to spin the perpetually negative into something resembling a positive, there are at least a few things to hold onto beyond the unsightly 5-16 record.

Let’s start with a bigger picture look at the way the team is trending, and then look at a couple of player-specific positives.

No. 1 reason to remain optimistic about the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have been increasingly competitive

The Wolves started the season 2-0, including a gritty win on the road in Utah against a Jazz squad that currently sits at 17-5 and holds the best winning percentage in the entire league.

But Karl-Anthony Towns dislocated his wrist late in that win and missed six consecutive games. All six were losses, and only one was particularly competitive: a seven-point loss to Denver that saw the Wolves take a one-possession lead into the fourth quarter only to see the Nuggets blow by them.

Since Towns’ initial return, the Wolves have been largely competitive. Yes, the bar was low, after trailing by 30-plus points in three straight games and four out of six, and 20-plus points in five-of-six games during Towns’ absence.

But the Wolves lost in overtime in Towns’ first game back before beating the Spurs the next night with Towns sitting out for rest. Then, a heartbreaking loss to Memphis that saw them take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter only to lose by 11.

Towns went out again, this time due to a positive COVID-19 test, and the Wolves have gone 2-7 in his absence, but easily could be 4-6 in that stretch due to double-digit leads kicked away in the fourth quarter, or 5-5 if you want to consider a two-point loss to Cleveland that was marred by myriad mistakes down the stretch.

Sure, there’s an obvious flip side to this. Wins are what matter, and yes, the fourth-quarter failings are in some ways indicative of larger issues. But in order to lose a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, you have to not only be competitive for the first three quarters, but actually be good enough to build the lead.

Clearly, losing close games is preferable than being blown off the court, and the Wolves have done that of late. The have the No. 12 defensive rating in the league according to Second Spectrum over the last 10 games and No. 8 over the last five.

While the schedule has lightened up a bit, we have to call out progress when progress occurs, and an overall defensive improvement has led to the Wolves’ increased competitiveness overall during the past couple of weeks.