Minnesota Timberwolves boast “Best rim protector(s) walking around on the planet”

“Best rim protector(s) walking around on the planet”

So what is it about protecting the rim that is so crucial for the Minnesota Timberwolves? It becomes a valuable asset for a team as it forces shots to originate away from the basket, and the greater the distance means the less accurate that shot will be. It’s also the start of fast break offense, and that can be terrifically powerful to possess in the NBA.

So who are the best shot blockers in the NBA today?

The Timberwolves Rudy Gobert blocked 5.7 percent of the shots, which was good enough for the fifth-ranked shot blocker in the NBA. That was a significant down year for Gobert, who had blocked 7.0 percent of the shots in the 2020-21 NBA season. But the NBA statistics for blocked shots have a minimum playing time of 1500 minutes played. Gobert played 2120 minutes last year.

Reid can block shots

While there is plenty to improve in Naz Reid’s game, he does a pretty good job of blocking shots. Naz Reid only played 1215 minutes during the 2021-22 NBA season, which is why his 5.6 percent of blocked shots was not listed among the NBA’s top shot blockers.

Of course, there is much more to NBA defensive play than blocking shots. There is the task of boxing out opponents, and coming down with rebounds. Right now, Gobert’s 2021-22 season rate of 25 percent of rebounds is nearly twice the rate of Naz Reid’s 13.3 percent. That is one of several areas Reid can improve by being mentored by Rudy Gobert