It has been a tumultuous beginning to the 2022-23 NBA season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But they aren’t alone. Both LA teams are struggling, and talented teams across the league have experienced just as much chaos. Conversely, two teams that gave the Wolves trouble, the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz, are at the top of the West. Minnesota isn’t the only team that is in a learning situation. They overhauled their roster in the offseason, and their playstyle has been the most significant change from last year.
This has come on both sides of the ball. They have had to adjust to all of the personnel changes after adding Rudy Gobert, a high-profile player they have to adjust to. Last season, the Wolves ranked seventh in the league in points per 100 possessions with 114.7. They were in the middle of the pack on the other side of the ball, finishing 13th and allowing 111.6 points per 100 possessions.
So far, we have seen the opposite reaction this season. The Wolves are currently 24th in points per 100 possessions with 109.9. On defense, they are eighth in the league allowing 108.6 points per 100 possessions. Many people, including me, have been skeptical of Minnesota’s defense this season. However, it has been their strong point, statistically.
A lack of offensive flow has been hindering the Wolves. Plays tend to have no off-ball movement, and Minnesota has not been using screens as often as we expected. I enjoy that Minnesota has made a point to get Rudy Gobert the ball more often. His Utah Jazz teammates used to look over him despite drawing mismatches. Karl-Anthony Towns has done a great job at finding him and sealing off his defender under the basket with passes from the post. This can open up more of a role for Rudy where he doesn’t have to do much but finish under the rim.
However, we have seen the ball force-fed Gobert’s way, usually on post entries. That forces him to create his own shot, which isn’t a good plan of action offensively.
While the Wolves have been steady in isolation situations, it’s unlikely that it is a sustainable format of scoring or setting up others. Anthony Edwards has been excellent in his situations, averaging 1.09 points per possession, ranking seventh in the league in frequency. He also ranks fourth in the NBA in total points out of isolation per NBA.com.
Minnesota ranks ninth in the league in isolation frequency and eighth in points per possession, but it still is a lingering issue they must iron out. A lot of their problems are rooted in three-point shooting. The Wolves currently rank 25th in the league in 3-point percentage shooting (33.6%). Not only have they shot poorly, but their frequency is down. Only 33.1% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, which is 24th in the league.
Assist percentage is the number of field goals made that are assisted on, and it is the most telling statistic. The Spurs demolished the Wolves with ball movement in their three matchups, and they led the entire league with a 72.7% assist percentage. The Wolves are 17th in the league at 59.1%.
It is easy to see which teams have an isolation-heavy player. For example, the Dallas Mavericks, who play heliocentric ball through superstar Luka Doncic are first in isolation frequency and last in ast%.
More team play would help the team get higher percentage shots from other spots on the court, especially from 3. They are already doing a great job attacking the basket, ranking 1st in the league in percentage shots at the rim per game per Cleaning the Glass.
It isn’t always that simple, though.
Minnesota forces a lot of threes. While it is excellent to see aggression from Jaylen Nowell and Jaden McDaniels, they can often put themselves in tricky situations, often having to maneuver around multiple defenders who are walled up. Granted, Edwards has found ways to make ridiculous layups in traffic like that. It is tough to make a quick read in the situation, and not something you always want to rely upon.
The main synergy comes back to the starting unit. We have seen movement from Nowell, Jordan McLaughlin, Taurean Prince, and Naz Reid-centric lineups thus far. That hasn’t been the case with the starters, though. While it is still early, finding out how to play your important players together more effectively should be priority No. 1. At a minimum, they should try out more sets soon.
