As you'd expect from a squad led by Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a gifted team in isolation. Notably, they rank within the top five in isolation frequency and isolation points. Ant ranks third in isolation points per game, while Randle ranks 16th. This isolation proficiency makes the Wolves a matchup nightmare to some degree.
At the same time, when Ant and/or Randle are cold, things can get stagnant. The Wolves' offense is so heavily predicated on iso ball that it lacks other actions which are staples for other teams around the league.
For example, they rank in the bottom 10 for pick-and-roll frequency. This not only hurts the diversity of the Wolves' offense, but by increasing their pick-and-roll frequency, they could find more advantageous matchups to attack in isolation. Whether it's more pick-and-rolls, zoom action, horns action, or anything else, the Wolves need more of an offensive identity outside of simply isolation.
Chris Finch's offense has long been centered around iso ball, but even he has openly said there needs to be more structure.
The Timberwolves' offense is extremely isolation-dependent
Let me be clear, attacking this much in isolation isn't inherently bad, and it's a clear strength of the Wolves' best two players. Furthermore, Ant and Randle draw an immense amount of attention from opposing defenses when attacking in isolation, which in turn creates open shots for their teammates.
When Edwards and Randle are playing at their best as scorers and playmakers, the Wolves' offense looks borderline unstoppable.
Yet, against the best defenses, Ant and Randle can both be turnover-prone. In this scenario, or if the stars are struggling to score, the Wolves' offense can look really clunky.
Notably, Ant (24.1 percent isolation frequency) and Randle (15.2) account for nearly all of the Wolves' isos, with Bones Hyland (11.9) being the only player above a 10 percent frequency.
To me, the Wolves (and just about every team, frankly) are at their best when everyone is involved, and the ball is zipping around. This can happen out of isolation, and overall, the tracking data tells us the Wolves' ball movement is pretty good. Nevertheless, it's easier to get everyone consistently involved in other actions, and the lack of involvement from the Wolves' complementary players has hurt them at times this season.
Right now, it's not uncommon for several possessions to go by where Edwards and Randle are the only ones to touch the ball. Not only does this make the Wolves' offense fairly predictable, but it also doesn't utilize the skill sets of their talented supporting cast.
I understand that there are clear advantages to this style of play, and with this duo, the Wolves will always be an iso-heavy team. A slightly more egalitarian style of play would help the Wolves reach their ceiling, though.
I'm not saying that the Wolves should overhaul their offense, and doing so this close to the playoffs simply won't happen. Regardless, a little less isolation and a little more of everything else would be beneficial for the Timberwolves, especially when the isolation ball freezes up in the playoffs.