Adjusting to life without Karl-Anthony Towns has clearly been a big challenge for the Minnesota Timberwolves. So many things about Minnesota's process on both offense and defense changed the minute that KAT became a New York Knick, and getting the team back to the level of a top-tier contender has been a difficult process that is still ongoing.
The eye test tells us that the Wolves have to sharpen their approach in a few key areas, but the advanced metrics and statistics give us more additional context behind what our eyes can see. Synergy Basketball analyst Todd Whitehead recently shared some very interesting numbers on social media that paint a telling picture for us.
Whitehead shared a chart depicting where each NBA team stands when it comes to their ability to stretch defenses. The chart shows the distance in feet that an opposing team's rim protector has stood from the hoop when a shot was attempted this season. These numbers are compared side-by-side with the data of the same statistic from the 2023-24 year.
The Knicks are doing a better job pulling rim protectors away from the basket this season. pic.twitter.com/AnbetdqzQ8
— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) December 10, 2024
Wolves are doing a better job drawing rim protectors away from the hoop
Last season, the Boston Celtics were far and away the best team in this category. With Kristaps Porzingis starting for them at center and considering the effectiveness of Joe Mazzulla's five-out offense, it is far from surprising that the NBA champion Celtics dominated in this category, as it was one of the main reasons they bulldozed everyone in the playoffs last year.
But now, the data tells us that many other teams have caught up to the Celtics. Since the Knicks acquired Towns from the Timberwolves, they have gone from dead last in the association in this statistic to fourth. Clearly, KAT's floor spacing ability has allowed them to pull opposing centers away from the basket on a far more consistent basis.
As we see this trend, we would naturally think that perhaps the Timberwolves took a step back in this category, but they surprisingly have not. In fact, Minnesota has also made a massive improvement in stretching defenses, going from 25th last season to 12th this year. That is a bit shocking considering Julius Randle is not the same type of versatile, defense-shifting offensive force that KAT is.
Rudy Gobert has also not made any strides in his three-point shooting or floor spacing ability. But perhaps we can chalk this up to the league as a whole playing copycat and catching up to the Celtics' level. Either way, this trend bodes well for the Timberwolves as they continue to improve their process.