4 Problems Timberwolves must fix to win 2024 NBA title
By Will Eudy
High turnover percentage
Another quality of championship teams that proves important come playoff time is taking care of the ball. Being careless with the basketball and allowing your opponent to create opportunities for themselves can seriously hinder the ceiling of an otherwise talented and capable team.
The Wolves have consistently done a poor job of protecting the ball over the course of this season. For the year, they rank 22nd in the NBA with 14.1 team turnovers per game. Giving possessions away so often has made life easier for their opposition and has ultimately led to more losses racking up.
This number makes a bit more sense when you consider how Minnesota plays through their bigs more than maybe any other team in the association. Though Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid are all super talented, having the ball in their hands can lead to more turnovers when double teams are sent. Having a high-usage star like Anthony Edwards contributes to this as well.
Fortunately, it is a problem the Timberwolves are capable of cleaning up. Putting the ball in Mike Conley's hands will always be a good way to combat this, as he averages 6.0 assists against just 1.2 turnovers this season, the lowest average giveaways of any starter.