The Minnesota Timberwolves still have some major issues to address if they are to return to being the type of top-level championship contenders they were a season ago. The questions about Julius Randle's long-term fit on this roster grow louder, and potential solutions exist if the Wolves wish to make a change before the trade deadline.
But outside of front office moves, there are still things Minnesota can do from an internal perspective to get back on the right track as well. We saw on Thursday night that the Timberwolves' offense still has some glaring holes, and Anthony Edwards even boldly stated that the team does not have an offensive identity right now.
As we consider his strong words, we begin to analyze why exactly that is the case at this particular juncture. Mike Conley explained how the team's overall offensive process is rather jumbled right now, and voiced the importance of having some go-to offensive actions and sets where a natural rhythm is found.
One element that was central to the Wolves' offensive philosophy last year that is a bit lost this season is Anthony Edwards getting downhill and attacking at the cup. Right now, he is simply not getting those looks. "Everybody wants me to get downhill," he said on Thursday. "I know that's my strength. I get to the rim, lay the ball up, dunk the ball, but I can't do that if there's no lane. It's not open."
Limited spacing is restricting the offense's effectiveness
There is more to this than simply opposing defenses adapting to Minnesota's offensive strengths. A team that was very capable offensively a season ago did not just become bad overnight for no reason, and defenders did not suddenly become adept at defending Anthony Edwards or somehow "figure him out." The core of the problem lies in the Timberwolves' spacing.
Without the offensive gravity that comes from employing great shooters at the proper spots on the floor, the offense becomes mucked up by way of opposing defenders being empowered to sag off their perimeter assignments and crowd the paint. This obviously leads to limited or no driving lanes for slashers like Edwards.
Put simply, the Wolves don't have the right personnel to allow their best player to be operating at maximum efficiency right now. Defenses do not have to respect Julius Randle's shot nearly as much as they did Karl-Anthony Towns' last season, and that is of course a major component of this problem.
Either Chris Finch will have to figure some different things out scheme-wise, or a roster move will have to be made at some point or another. This team can still have its moments of success on offense even now, but things will have to change for them to be good enough at that end of the floor consistently.