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

Defensive designs

Assistant coach Micah Nori is taking a good and consistent approach with the Minnesota Timberwolves  right now. It’s early, and the Timberwolves have a lot of new faces, significant changes in the type of defense that the team wants to run this year. The Timberwolves struggled on defense a year ago, simply because the team sought too much from too few.

The Timberwolves installed a number of defenses during the 2021-22 season, but the team’s personnel were not always readily equipped to run them.  The Timberwolves experimented with a complete arsenal of defenses, but with mixed results.

Adapting to Gobert’s presence

The Timberwolves are adapting to the presence of Rudy Gobert by flexing their pace and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the basketball court.  But the design of the rotations are as much a part of the offensive fits among players as well as the defensive fits and complementary skillsets.

The Timberwolves are working at running at drop coverages, which are designed to take away the the three-point shots, and then to flex the defense to ensure that the defense minimizes any numeric offenses that the opponent may gain by feeding the basketball to the open player who can then drive to the basket.

The Timberwolves are more than just defense, and we’ll be coming up with articles focused upon the offensive innovations as the opportunity presents itself. Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves are becoming familiar with one another, with the coaching staff, and with what the team wants to do on the offensive and defensive sides of the basketball court.

Rudy Gobert will do the heavy lifting for the Timberwolves this season. But Naz Reid will gain a better pespective, more confidence, an expanded set of skills, and as a result, likely more playing time.

There is a lot of talk about defense among Minnesota Timberwolves players. But Naz Reid is most certainly one who I expect to deliver this season.