The 2021-22 NBA season for the Minnesota Timberwolves was, as the saying goes, close but no WEO, as the team was ushered out of the first round after losing four of six games to the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite entering the playoffs with some momentum, and actually holding a halftime advantage in the all too pivotal tie-breaking fifth game of that series, the Timberwolves could not sustain the type of defense necessary to win and advance.
A year ago, the Timberwolves allowed 113.3 points per game, only good enough for 24th place of 30 NBA teams. In the playoffs, that defense got worse. The Timberwolves allowed 114.7 points per game, which was 15th of 16 NBA playoff teams. Worse yet, the team was not bad at defending their opponent’s shooting accuracy but allowed 46.3 rebounds per game. That too was the 15th of 16 playoff teams.
It was that inability to clear out the boards which set all of the wheels into motion this season. The Timberwolves sought one of the best NBA centers, a guy who could single-handedly bump the team’s rebounding to the upper echelons of the NBA, and in the process give a boost to the team’s defense overall.
Early results about the Timberwolves’ defense are offensive
After 27 games, the Minnesota Timberwolves have allowed their opponents to put up 116.7 points per game. That’s no better than 27th out of 30 NBA teams this season, which is a bit alarming because this was supposed to be a roster assembled to improve the team’s ability to play defense.
The Timberwolves are doing a better job at limiting opponents’ ability to rebound, having dropped that number to 44.6 rebounds per game. But in doing so, the Timberwolves have almost no perimeter defense, allowing opponents to score at will from beyond the arc.
The three-point shooting accuracy of opponents is 37.8 percent, a staggering 28th of 30 NBA teams. Making matters worse, the Timberwolves allow an average of 37.7 treys to be shot against them per game. So opponents fire at will from long range, and the Timberwolves have done little to stop the salvo.
Can this be fixed?
The latest contests for the Minnesota Timberwolves have done nothing to improve the team’s record. Once sitting as high as 10-8, the team has fallen back to a sub-.500 record of 13-14, losing six of their last nine games. But the team’s defense has been pitiful over the last nine games, allowing scores of 110 (L), 137 (L), 142 (L), 101 (W), 135 (L), 115 (W), 108 (W), 124 (L), and 133 (L) respectively. That is an average of 122. 8 points per game, which is significantly worse than the 120.1 points allowed per game by the San Antonio Spurs.
Sure, the Minnesota Timberwolves roster is dealing with injuries right now. But this team has been getting neither great perimeter defense nor perimeter defense so far this season, and that is increasingly alarming. The question is not will the Timberwolves’ front office fix this, but can they?
Right now, the Timberwolves need to revert back to an offensive juggernaut that outscores opponents and tries to put up enough defense to make it stick. Or the team needs to get some perimeter defense on the Timberwolves roster, and pronto. Whichever route the team chooses to take right now, the chance of tweaking the roster with a trade or two seems ever more likely.
When and who will be on the move? Stay tuned . . .