The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the most surprising teams during the 2021-22 NBA season. After years of struggling to find consistency on the court, Chris Finch helped them put it all together last season as Minnesota finished seventh in the Western Conference. They defeated the LA Clippers in the first game of the NBA Play-In Game, earning a first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
While they fell short in that series, the Timberwolves announced their presence as an up-and-coming team as they gave the Grizzlies everything they could handle in six games. Looking to carry that momentum over to the 2022-23 season, Minnesota made a huge splash during the offseason.
With the Utah Jazz embarking on a rebuild, they made a lot of their veterans available and the Timberwolves struck. They acquired three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, in exchange for a massive package. Minnesota parted ways with five players, Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro and Walker Kessler, three unprotected first-round picks, one protected pick and one pick swap.
That is an unprecedented price for a team to pay for a player in a trade, but the Timberwolves were convinced that Gobert’s strengths would help make them legitimate contenders. Their defense, specifically on the interior with Karl-Anthony Towns, has been a weakness and Gobert is elite in that area.
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On paper, the fit seems like a seamless one. Moving Towns over to the power forward spot is an easy transition offensively since he is such a gifted player on the perimeter. There may not be a center in the NBA that is as good of a shooter as Towns.
Defensively, there were certainly more questions. With the NBA transitioning more toward positionless basketball without traditional big men, how would deploy two in the starting lineup fare? It was a legitimate question and thus far, the results have been underwhelming.
It will take some time for the Timberwolves to iron things out. Some players are in new positions and the Gobert isn’t the only new face in the rotation. Building chemistry and cohesion takes patience, but it would be fair to say that Minnesota is struggling to find success in the early going.
The Timberwolves are currently 6-8 on the season. Their defense is playing at essentially a slightly lower level this season as they did last season with a defensive rating of 112.4 compared to 111.7. It is certainly concerning that Gobert’s presence isn’t having a greater impact, as they are 19th in the NBA in defensive rating, but the most concerning thing is that their offense is slipping so considerably.
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When Gobert anchored the Jazz’s defense, they encountered significant problems in the playoffs when opposing teams attacked their drop coverage. The same issues are occurring with the Timberwolves. At some point, the value of Gobert’s rim protection needs to come into question if this persists. Darius Garland recently capitalized for 51 points when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated them, with this issue being a pattern.
Minnesota currently has an offensive rating of 111.3, which is 19th in the NBA. That is a steep decline from the 8th-place finish last season with a rating of 114.3. Six different players are averaging double-figures, but at times, it seems like a struggle to score the ball.
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Incorporating Gobert is certainly a challenge as he is limited offensively but the Timberwolves were intent on involving him more than he was with the Jazz. In the season, the duo of Towns and Gobert have a net rating of -5.0, something that will have to improve if they live up to the expectations placed on them.
To make matters worse, Anthony Edwards has expressed that playing without a two-big lineup brings the best out of his game. It’s easier for him to attack the basket instead of facing a crowd in the paint. Edwards has also recorded only four assists to Gobert in the 302 minutes they’ve played together.
“The smaller we go, the better it is for me,” Edwards said after the Timberwolves’ 132-126 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz.
Edwards, who is unquestionably the Timberwolves’ future, has struggled to find his footing offensively this season. He is producing only 0.691 points per possession (24th percentile) in pick-and-roll situations and 0.841 points per possession (32nd percentile) in isolation. There just doesn’t appear to be an appropriate comfortable level for him to succeed.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
While their performance as a duo is certainly concerning, Towns and point guard D’Angelo Russell seem to be more of the problem. At least one of them is some of the worst-rated duos on the roster currently.
They deserve some more time to see if they can iron out some of the issues that they are facing, but the early returns are certainly not as encouraging as some of the other teams that made big splashes this offseason.
