There has been a healthy mix of ups and downs for the Minnesota Timberwolves so far this season. Of course, a lot of what they are able to do changed the moment Karl-Anthony Towns left the Twin Cities, but Chris Finch and the staff have been steadily putting in the work to get this team back to the level of a top-tier contender in the Western Conference.
The team is still figuring out how to optimize having Julius Randle in certain lineups, but his individual performances have been rock solid ever since his shaky opening night performance. Randle is averaging 23.3 points while taking the right shots and shooting over 60% from both three-point range and the floor overall. His play has been a big positive amidst a bunch of uncertainties.
But one thing Minnesota has struggled at so far is containing their opponents in the open floor in transition. Prominent Timberwolves podcaster Dane Moore pointed this out after Tuesday night's loss to Dallas, asking Anthony Edwards his thoughts on the topic in the locker room.
When asked why the Wolves' transition defense has fallen off so much from last season, Edwards got honest. "I don't know," he said. "I got to watch the film. I probably play a part in that too. Talking to the refs, falling on the ground and s---, just immature stuff. That's probably why we don't get back in transition. Not guarding the rim. A couple of possessions into the game, me and Mike were back early, I'm telling Rudy to get back, but it's on me to guard the rim, because Rudy can just take the opposite corner. Just like I said, immature game plan mistakes."
No team in the NBA has allowed more transition opportunities to opponents thus far this season than the Wolves have.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 30, 2024
Anthony Edwards on what is behind that trend.
(The Wolves really struggled with transition D Year 1 of Gobert, but significantly improved in that area last… pic.twitter.com/rEfuu7cbVN
Anthony Edwards said team is making "immature" mistakes in transition
This is truly a blunt and honest reaction from Minnesota's best player. To immediately lump himself in as part of the problem shows self-awareness, and to then recognize seemingly little mistakes he himself has made as "immature" means he has his head in the right place.
As of this writing, the Timberwolves rank 27th, or fourth-to-last, in the NBA in opponent fastbreak points per game. They are surrendering an average of 19.3 points in that category per outing. This will have to be cleaned up, but it does not seem that doing so will be a particularly challenging task. As Ant points out, the mistakes they are making are mostly ones that can be fixed by simply being intentional about addressing them.
Dane Moore points out that the Wolves struggled with defending the fastbreak in Gobert's first season with the team, but became proficient in that category this past season. Minnesota still has the personnel to be a high-level defensive team, and preventing opponents from getting out in the open floor is a great first step to help them get back to being that.