The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to 4-4 after a 23-point loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The Wolves' defense has been a key problem so far this year, and that was certainly the case on Wednesday as they gave up 137 points and allowed them to shoot 45.2 percent from 3-point range. Minnesota also got out-rebounded 50-31.
With this loss, the Wolves plummeted to 27th in defensive rating. For a team that has ranked in the top 10 for DRTG over the past two seasons, including first in the NBA two years ago, this is a steep decline.
The Wolves have the talent to get back on track defensively; it will just be a matter of putting it together. Anthony Edwards returned to the court on Wednesday after missing four games with a hamstring injury. After the game, he gave an honest and wise assessment of Minnesota's defense.
"I think a lot of it is finishing the possession, Edwards said. We play good defense for 22 seconds or 21 seconds. And then don't do the extra effort, the stuff that coach says. We gotta work on that, man, that's super important."
Defense is derailing the Wolves' season
Ant is spot on with his comments. The Wolves' problems have been nuanced for the most part. Oftentimes, they play straight-up defense but ultimately fail to rotate to shooters or get exposed on a switch at the end of the possession. At times, it appears that a lack of communication has led to confusion about switches and/or rotations.
These seemingly minor errors can lead to catastrophic results, as we've seen with the Wolves thus far. While it wasn't as late in the shot clock as Edwards said, it's worth noting the Knicks shot had a 70.4 effective field percentage when the shot clock was between 15 and seven seconds. This stat highlights how common the Wolves' defensive breakdowns are. Minnesota needs to clean up some of these issues, and as Edwards said, finishing possessions will be key.
Another key part of the Wolves' struggles has been the non-Rudy Gobert minutes. Per NBA.com, with Gobert on the court, the Wolves have a 109.7 defensive rating (translates to third in the NBA), but without him, they have a 134.8 DRTG, which translates to dead last by a significant margin. Julius Randle and Naz Reid are fantastic players, but neither is a true center. The Wolves desperately need rim protection without Rudy on the court. Perhaps playing Jaden McDaniels in a defensive center role is the solution.
While the Wolves' defense is a key problem, they have the personnel to solve this issue; it will just take some time.