It might not feel like it, but the Minnesota Timberwolves are 5-1 in the last six games and 10-4 in the last 14 games. The consensus vibe around Wolves fans would suggest that they've been .500 or worse in this recent stretch. And while fans' logic can be flawed at times, their mindset makes sense in this case. Simply put, when you watch the Wolves, plenty of things don't look right.
Per Cleaning the Glass, in February, the Wolves rank 13th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive rating. Plus, their 6-4 record in February feels more reflective than their 5-1 record in the last six games or their 10-4 record in the last 14 games. Two of the Wolves' four losses have come against playoff teams, the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers; that's fine. However, two of them come against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans; that's unacceptable.
Recent games, against the Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers, are on paper solid wins. Nevertheless, beating these two teams by fewer than five points with their best players sidelined is concerning. I'd also be remiss not to mention the peculiar exchange between Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch against the Clippers. I don't think there's serious tension between the two of them, but it certainly contributes to this idea of ''bad vibes."
The Wolves have clear problems on both sides of the game.
The Wolves' stars must be better on defense
Let's start off with the defensive problems. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels are two of the league's best defenders. As such, the Wolves have been a formidable defense for the past few years. And overall, they still have a top-10 defense. Regardless, the effort and engagement from the Wolves' two star players (Edwards and Julius Randle) have been nothing short of awful.
Both players have the potential to be true two-way stars, and on the ball, they're generally pretty good. Off the ball, though, their habits have been disastrous. Between short closeouts, ball-watching, slow rotations, and a general lack of intensity, Ant and Randle are doing everything you were taught not to do in youth basketball. This poor energy can trickle down throughout the team.
Randle is often counted on as a rim protector in the non-Gobert minutes, which makes these issues even more problematic. Overall, the Wolves' defense is 10 points worse per 100 possessions with Randle on the court and seven points worse per 100 possessions with Edwards on the court.
The Timberwolves' offensive issues
Offensively, the problems have been a bit more complex yet less severe. Bench production has remained troubling as they rank 28th in bench points for February.
Beyond that, though, the Wolves' offense often looked stagnant at times, and the ball movement has decreased significantly recently. For the season, the Wolves rank seventh in passes per game -- but this number is down to 22nd in February. As has been the case all year, the lack of a traditional point guard has been problematic.
It's also worth noting that, in addition to Randle's poor defense, he is averaging 18.4 points (a 3.9 ppg drop off from his averages in the first 50 games) with 43.8/22.7/83.6 shooting splits. Outside of these on-court issues, the vibes don't seem right, whether it's Gobert calling out his team earlier this month, or Edwards exchange with Finch, there seems to be some level of disconnect with the team.
Don't get it twisted, we've seen moments of brilliance from this Wolves' squad, including beating the Oklahoma City Thunder twice. Nevertheless, the Wolves have to clean up these inconsistencies before the playoffs roll around. If not, another deep playoff run won't be in the cards.