With so many teams opting for smaller lineups, the move by Tim Connelly and his band of front office personnel to pair two centers in Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert has the potential to be game-changing.
But he had to trade multiple core players on Minnesota’s roster to get Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Connelly included Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the deal, two lionhearted defenders who helped make up Chris Finch’s starting five.
Beverley and Vanderbilt’s primary roles were often to guard the opposing team’s best player, depending on his size and speed. But by sentencing both of the former fan favorites to play for the Utah Jazz next season, the Timberwolves organization has put itself in a tight spot.
Who will be their primary point-of-attack defender next year?
As Minnesota’s lead point guard last season, D’Angelo Russell spent most of his time on defense as the lead on-ball defender. But Russell is far better suited acting as an off-ball guard. DLo’s a great leader while on the court. He’s also proved so during the Timberwolves’ run as a top-10 defense during the early stages of the 2021-22 season. Playing the role of an on-court defensive coordinator, Russell constantly vocalizes to his teammates where they need to be to get a defensive stop.
Besides simply shouting on that end of the floor, Russell is also underrated when it comes to playing the passing lanes. The former All-Star showed a knack for using his 6’10” wingspan to intercept long passes. Finch forcing DLo to act as Minnesota’s initial on-ball defender also presents the threat of KAT or Gobert picking up unwanted fouls at the rim. The eighth-year guard has demonstrated a complete inability to stop his defensive assignments from blowing past him and into the paint.
Jaden McDaniels has already proven to be one of the NBA’s best young players. But using the wing from Federal Way as Minnesota’s primary on-ball defender may not be the best option. After Finch named McDaniels a starter for the first 10 games last year, he brought McDaniels back to the bench due to his knack for picking up unnecessary fouls. But McDaniels is almost a necessity in the starting lineup now, given the players that Connelly traded for Gobert.
But it’s not just the number of fouls that invites questions about the Washington product’s ability to be a lead POA defender, but rather his size. Although listed at 6’9″, McDaniels lacks the necessary frame it takes to defend the more athletic, ball-dominant forwards such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. (As a fellow tall and slim person, although not to Jaden’s extent, I completely understand that a slender frame doesn’t necessarily mean he is weak.) Still, having a player like the Greek Freak or King James constantly bulldozing their way through McDaniels is far from ideal for Minnesota’s coaching staff.
Anthony Edwards is the Wolves’ last and most likely option as the initial defender – but he shouldn’t be. Listed at 6’5″, 225 lbs., Edwards has the most NBA-ready frame on Minnesota’s roster. Not only is Ant’s physical build what most coaches dream of having as a POA defender, but he also has proven to be an adequate ball-stopper away from the basket.
Edwards has occasionally shown a lack of defensive IQ when he’s playing off the ball. It’s another reason he isn’t the best choice for acting as the Timberwolves’ first line of on-ball defense. We’ve repeatedly seen Edwards lose focus of where his matchup is, only for them to be cutting backdoor for an easy two points at the rim.
But even with the off-ball mishaps, having Ant play the role of Minnesota’s POA defender would do more harm for the team than good. Fighting around and through screens on a nightly basis would almost certainly fatigue Edwards. He’d tire less quickly guarding off-ball. And with an 82-game season, this sort of defensive task could inhibit the Wolves’ rising star from reaching his full potential as one of the league’s most prolific scorers.
Finch and the Minnesota Timberwolves have a dilemma: Which member of the projected starting five is the most viable option when it comes to being the team’s point-of-attack defender?
Russell has shown to be of greater assistance defensively when playing the “free safety” role. It enables him to coach his teammates into getting stops on that end of the floor. McDaniels has arguably the most upside in the league at becoming an All-NBA defender. But with his slim stature, he’s shown to struggle at guarding several of the well-built forwards. As a result, he’s prone to getting into foul trouble. And while Edwards has proven that he can guard against some of the NBA’s most talented superstars, will exerting too much defensively take away from his offensive potential?
