Minnesota Timberwolves, a giant of the West that is deflating
The arrival of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns has not been beneficial for the Wolves.
From being one of last season’s contenders and ringing the big bell in the playoffs of the NBA after eliminating the big favorites, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves They have become a team that, for now, is out of the play-in spots and whose defensive problems are evident.
The departure of Karl-Anthony Towns through an exchange with New York Knicks which led to Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Twin Cities team and the Dominican center to the Big Apple has not been entirely beneficial for a franchise that surprised in 2022 when it signed the four-time DPOY, Rudy Gobertto partner with KAT in a kind of ‘Twin Towers’ like those formed in the San Antonio Spurs, David Robinson and Tim Duncan several decades ago.
Experts considered that KAT and Gobert could not play together; However, in their second season sharing the floor, the pair of big men led the Wolves to be the best defense in the league and a playoff run that stopped in the conference finals when they lost to Dallas Mavericks.
But for this season the great defense that the Wolves boasted has collapsed…
Minnesota ranks 12th in defensive efficiency (109.1 points allowed per 100 possessions) so far this campaign, well below last season’s first place.
What has led T-Wolves to this collapse? Several factors…
The minutes in which Julius Randle and Naz Reid They share the court.
When Randle and Reid are on the court together, the Wolves have a defensive efficiency of 116.8 this season, the worst of any two-player Wolves lineup. who has played 75 minutes or more. Many of these problems start with rim protection; that is, in situations where Gobert is off the court.
Without the French center on the floor, rivals have shot 66% on layups and dunks when Reid and Randle are on the court. That takes them to last place in the NBA. The Wolves have defended 34.4 layups and dunks per 100 possessions when Reid and Randle are on the court.
But the defensive problems ‘generated’ by the Reid/Randle duo do not end there.
When Reid and Randle share the court this season, the Timberwolves allow 1.30 points per direct drive. To put it in perspective, the Indiana Pacers They rank last in points per direct drive allowed with 1.12.
Wolves defend 57.5 drives per 100 possessions. In perspective, Houston Rockets They defend the most drives per 100 possessions with 52.9.
Finally, a comparison that makes clear the team’s poor defensive performance compared to last season when KAT was still in Minnesota.
The Wolves allowed 0.99 points per direct drive and 56% accuracy on layups and dunks when Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns They were on the court together in 2023-24.
Is switching to Randle the solution?
The defensive collapse may be one of the big reasons why speculation has begun about the forward’s next departure before the trade deadline.
Speculation points to several teams with the following agreement:
Miami Heat: Julius Randle by Nikola Jovic, Terry Rozier and Thomas Bryant
LA Clippers: Randle for Norman Powell, Nicolas Batum and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2031
San Antonio Spurs: Randle by Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Sochan
Brooklyn Nets: Randle and a second-round pick (2025) (via Denver or Philadelphia) for Cameron Johnson and Jalen Wilson
It’s a fact The Wolves are looking for a reliable second option to play with Anthony Edwards and to improve defensively, that is why it seems that in Minnesota there will be movements, so, if Wolves are really looking to sell the forward between now and the trade deadline, the movements that have begun to be rumored would make sense.
With information from AM850 Stats & Info.
