4. Sinking open shots
The Wolves faced significant questions heading into this season. After trading for Rudy Gobert, his fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns was questioned. Injuries limited KAT to 29 games last season, and Minnesota had to go through the Play-In Tournament. They were bounced by the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, and some were quick to say the Timberwolves would never be title contenders with those two sharing the frontcourt.
Gobert is a lob threat and a strong insider finisher, but he does not take jumpers. The Wolves had spacing questions with two big men sharing the floor, but Towns is an elite shooter. They are making it work by sinking open shots.
They are shooting 42.3 percent on wide-open 3-pointers this season, which is the best mark in the NBA. Minnesota is taking 17.9 of those attempts per game per NBA Stats. To be wide open, the defender needs to be six-plus feet away. The Timberwolves need to continue sinking these looks because defenses will continue to sell out to stop their stars.
They are third in the NBA in open 3-point percentage with the defender four to six feet away. Those looks will keep coming, and the Minnesota Timberwolves must continue making those shots to go on a deep playoff run.