Much has been made of the Minnesota Timberwolves sacrificing size—a staple of their team in recent years—for backcourt help in the form of a star point guard, which they now have in LaMelo Ball.
While it can’t be said for sure yet, as the team with Ball has yet to play together, this Minnesota team seems to have qualities that will make it a difficult out in the playoffs.
Rim protection
Yes, the team no longer has as much size after trading away both Julius Randle and Naz Reid. However, dealing those two players won’t take away from the excellent rim protection the team will still have.
Of course, that is largely because of Rudy Gobert. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is still one of the elite rim protectors, even at age 34. Opponents made just barely more than half of their field-goal attempts when guarded by Gobert within 10 feet of the basket.
Joan Beringer is still raw, but it’s evident that he is a better interior defender than either Randle or Reid. The drop-off in defense that the Timberwolves have experienced with Gobert off the court shouldn’t be as extreme with Beringer getting more playing time.
As long as those two remain healthy, teams should be weary of driving it to the hole for all 48 minutes.
Perimeter play goes beyond the starters
Acquiring Ball to team up with Anthony Edwards gives the Wolves a case for having the best starting backcourt in the NBA. No longer will defenses be able to focus so much on Edwards when Ball is such an offensive ceiling-raiser.
As awesome as it will be to see those two in action, Jaden McDaniels is also coming off a career-best season in terms of scoring efficiency and scoring in general. Ayo Dosunmu is capable of attacking the defense with blazing speed, and he has knocked down more than 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in two of the last three years. Terrence Shannon Jr. is a skilled shot creator who excels at attacking the rim.
There’s depth beyond those four as well. Bones Hyland has certainly had his playoff struggles, but his high motor will help him create moments for himself during the regular season. Isaiah Evans may not play much as a rookie, but he proved to be a sharpshooter during his two years at Duke. Having this many threats from the perimeter can be overwhelming to opposing defenses, especially in a playoff setting.
There aren’t many other teams that can combine stellar perimeter play on any given night with stout rim protection as well as the Timberwolves can. If the new pieces can jell quickly and they remain relatively healthy, Minnesota’s ceiling is quite high.
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