Nobody is confusing the Utah Jazz for one of the league's better offenses. The Minnesota Timberwolves met up with them on Sunday, with former All-Star Lauri Markkanen needing to sit out (as did Jaren Jackson Jr.). Still, the Wolves did another wonderful job on the defensive end, holding the Jazz to 42.5 percent shooting from the field and forcing 13 turnovers.
That has been a common theme for the 8-3 Timberwolves through their first 11 games. In fact, during all 11 of their games, the Wolves have held opponents to under 50 percent shooting from the field and forced at least 13 turnovers.
The Timberwolves have the league's top defense through 11 games
Per Timberwolves PR, entering Sunday, their 10 straight games of forcing opponents to shoot worse than 50 percent and commit at least 13 turnovers were the longest stretch in franchise history. That has now increased to 11 straight after playing Utah.
The defense has been incredible, and it’s a big reason they are 8-3 even without Anthony Edwards for their last seven outings (now 5-2 without him). So far this year, Minnesota has held opponents to 43.5 percent shooting from the field, 32.0 percent from beyond the arc, and forced 16.5 turnovers per game.
Right now, those numbers are sixth, fourth, and ninth-best, respectively, in the NBA. Those numbers show how well the Timberwolves' defense has performed this season, but the clearest is their 105.4 defensive rating, the best in the NBA. They've also allowed the fewest made 3-pointers per game, at 11.1, something their defense has clearly tried to limit.
Four of their opponents failed to clear 100 points. They held the Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks to under 39 percent field goal accuracy. Plus, Minnesota has already faced four teams in the top eight in offensive rating: the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors.
Championship not out of the question if defense maintains its level
It’s been a total team effort on defense. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels are still elite defenders, but Jonathan Kuminga, Ayo Dosunmu, Joan Beringer, Trey Lyles, and LaMelo Ball are among those also giving a quality effort. In particular, Ball was known as a lackluster defender for much of his time with the Charlotte Hornets, but he has bought into not being seen as a liability.
It further shows how good a head coach Chris Finch is at establishing a defensive identity. The team may change some of the players, but the defense often remains top-notch. While they aren’t quite a championship favorite, their ceiling has risen enough with their defensive impact. The Timberwolves haven’t taken a night off on that end.
Defense usually matters more in the postseason, and if Minnesota can do it better than anyone else, there’s no reason to think winning it all isn’t possible.
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