The Indiana Pacers are reportedly looking to rebuild. They are listening to trade offers on Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and Caris LeVert, and the Minnesota Timberwolves should be spam calling the Pacers front office with offers. While all three of these players are great, the Wolves should be fully on the Turner train.
Let’s take a look at what makes Turner the perfect fit for the Wolves roster and why he can hopefully prevent more plays like this:
In all fairness, the Wolves’ tallest player is Karl-Anthony Towns (6’11”), and he had fouled out, rendering him unavailable at that moment. But plays like that are inexcusable.
After KAT, Minnesota’s tallest player is Nathan Knight (6’10”). Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid stand at 6’9”. Rim protection has been the Wolves’ Achilles heel, in addition to their propensity to give up wide-open 3s. So far this season, fans have seen opposing centers thrive against the smaller Minnesota frontcourt. Want a visualization? Take a look at Montrezl Harrell’s shot chart against the Wolves.
Not great.
So, how can the Twolves attempt to fix something like this?
Simple: Trade for Turner.
Not only will the Wolves be interested in offering Turner a significant role, but Turner himself has also expressed interest in an expanded role. “It’s clear that I’m not valued as anything more than a glorified role player here,” he told The Athletic recently, “and I want something more, more opportunity.”
Minnesota puts up the second-most 3s in the league compared. The Pacers? 17th. That will allow for more deep shots for Turner, and they would treat him like a superstar on the defensive end.
Defensive fit
The Wolves knock off their size and rim protection issues by trading for Turner in one fell swoop. He has consistently been one of the greatest rim protectors in the league. Since his rookie year in 2015-16, Turner has been ranked in at least the 90th percentile of BLK%, which measures the percentage of opposing players’ shots blocked by defenders. This year he ranks first in that category at 5.5%, nearly a whole percent higher than the second-place player, Daniel Gafford, at 4.4%.
Turner checks the size box, too. At 6’11, he’d be standing atop the Wolves height hierarchy with KAT.
Adding another 6’11” player would be huge for this Wolves roster. The ability to move KAT to the 4 and run a more defensive-focused center at the 5 could open up more profitable defensive schemes for the Wolves.
Towns has been widely criticized for his defense. But KAT has seen strides in that aspect of his game this year, and he’s taking steps to show he can be a legit help defender. If the Wolves pull the trigger on Turner, it would help cover some of KAT’s defensive woes. Turner excels as a rim protector, allowing Towns to slide to the 4 and be a weak-side help defender.
I’m not suggesting that trading for Turner would completely alleviate KAT’s defensive shortcomings because it wouldn’t. But great teams hide their weakness on either side of the ball. Minimizing the amount of defensive responsibility on KAT’s shoulders could take an already great defense to another level.
Towns is athletic and long, with a 7’4” wingspan. By moving well for his size, KAT would cash that in on the weak side. Unfortunately, it’s hard to thoroughly analyze because KAT doesn’t get to play exclusively help on defense right now due to the lack of size in the roster.
Offensive fit
Most Wolves fans have fallen in love with Vanderbilt. His energy, effort, and defense have all been outstanding this year. But even his effort and high-flying defense can’t make up for the lack of production on the offensive side of the ball – especially when it comes to the 3-ball. His poor shooting creates poor spacing, creating problems for every player on the floor. Hence why teams use the “Utah defense” so effectively against Minnesota.
That’s why the Wolves and Turner are a match made in heaven. Turner has a much better offensive skill set than any of Minnesota’s current 4s. He won’t only generate offense for himself, but Turner will also create space with his 3-point shooting. Turner is averaging 13 points a night on an efficient 53% shooting. He is also shooting a career-high 39.7% from three. Those kinds of numbers would instantly make him one of the more efficient 3-point shooters on the roster.
The Wolves need to get Indiana on speed-dial. Players like Turner aren’t available very often, so it’s essential to go for them when they do, especially when they dovetail with your team as he does. I’m not sure what the asking price is, but Minnesota needs to find out. All I know is the Wolves have to go all-out to get Turner in the Twin Cities.
