Rebounding was a key concern about the Minnesota Timberwolves' new-look roster. That's understandable, as Julius Randle and Naz Reid were the Wolves' second- and third-leading rebounders last season. Plus, even last year with more of a physical frontcourt, they ranked just 13th in rebounds per game.
In their first game of the season against the Miami Heat, the Wolves were clearly at a physical disadvantage. It didn't matter, though, as the Wolves outrebounded the Heat 52-34, en route to a 131-106 win.
Look, it's only one game, but the Wolves certainly took a step toward silencing this concern. It would be one thing if the Timberwolves slightly outrebounded the Heat, or if they crushed a bad team on the glass.
But outrebounding the Heat by 18 is no small feat. Miami ranked fourth in rebounds per game, and they added Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Bam Adebayo and Giannis, I wouldn't be shocked if they lead the league in rebounding. Again, I don't want to overreact to one game, but the Wolves did everything you could've asked for on the glass during Wednesday's season opener.
The Timberwolves' activity on the glass on opening night is a great sign
It was an all-around effort for the Timberwolves on the boards. Rudy Gobert led the way with 15 rebounds, Anthony Edwards grabbed 10, Jaden McDaniels had eight, Joan Beringer had six, and Ayo Dosunmu had five.
This team effort is exactly what the Wolves need to make up for their lack of size outside of Gobert. Despite not having a ton of size, the Wolves are arguably the league's most athletic team. As such, by everyone constantly crashing the glass, they have a path to being a rock-solid rebounding team.
Before the start of the season, Chris Finch made it clear that rebounding would be an emphasis for the team, and challenged Edwards and McDaniels to be more active on the boards.
“We got to make sure we continue to put an emphasis on rebounding…and it’s going to have to come from Jaden (McDaniels) and Anthony (Edwards) and these guys who traditionally have not always rebounded at the highest level. Those guys are going to have to really get in there.”
Based on the first game of the season, the Wolves are up for the challenge. Without a doubt, McDaniels and Edwards will have to continue grabbing rebounds for this team to survive on the glass. This is especially true since their bench frontcourt players struggled. Regardless, given the elite athleticism of the Wolves' starters, there's a strong possibility that this trend continues.
And if the Wolves become a top-10 rebounding team, it'll be hard to find any real flaws with this team. If you were skeptical of the Wolves this offseason, it likely stemmed from physicality concerns. But if they can rebound this well, it won't matter. The Wolves have elite 3-point shooting, athleticism to generate rim pressure, great perimeter defense, rim protection, and wing defense.
A team that can grab 52 rebounds and drain 21 3-pointers in the same night is an incredibly dangerous one.
Simply put, the Timberwolves are an incredibly well-rounded team, and if they keep rebounding at a high level, the sky's the limit for this group. While this rebounding concern can't officially be put to rest after one game, the Timberwolves certainly took a step toward silencing it on Wednesday, and I couldn't be more impressed with how they held up against an elite Miami frontcourt.
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