Timberwolves cannot convert Gobert’s rebounds into wins

Are the Minnesota Timberwolves playing hokie-pokie? You know the childhood game where you put one foot in, then you take one foot out? Well, when it comes to winning consistently, that seems to be the formula for the Timberwolves so far this season. Win one, lose one, win one, then shake it all about.

The Timberwolves are 31-32. But, to be fair, the cupcake pushover teams that many believed filled the month of October 2022 for the Minnesota Timberwolves have been anything but pushovers. The Timberwolves faced the Utah Jazz (5-2) once, the LA Lakers (1-5) once, the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) twice, and the San Antonio Spurs (5-2) three times. In aggregate, the Timberwolves are 4-3 against opponents whose records run 27-19. That was just the beginning of the challenges this team faced.

It’s that surprisingly tougher-than-expected early season schedule, and a not-ready-for-primetime Timberwolves roster that has been the greatest challenge to the team’s shotgun start to this NBA season. But by no means is that the only problem. This has been a calamity of injuries, errors, blown opportunities, and a general malaise that has prevented the team from climbing out of the ordinary and into a true NBA Playoff team.

If the Timberwolves were looking for rebounds out of center Rudy Gobert, the team certainly has gotten that. And his ability to score has not been bad either.

Unfortunately, both Gobert’s rebounding and scoring have dipped in his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That is just one of the little problems that this team has experienced in the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Timberwolves have had plenty of little problems, many of which have not been solved this season. Rather, due to the challenges of lineups and injuries, many important improvements have not taken place. Now, with just 21 games remaining on the schedule,