The Minnesota Timberwolves have already seen great developments early in the season. Their defensive rating has shrunk to a league-best 101.2 points per 100 possessions after they were 10th-best last season (113.1). They are starting to get value from the much-maligned Rudy Gobert trade.
Last year’s roster was not ill-constructed, but the current roster gels nicely with a perfect defensive pairing at the center.
Gobert developed into the best drop-coverage big man in the league during his time with the Utah Jazz. Wing defenders funneled ball handlers to their doom, and he cleaned up mistakes while deterring drivers from attempting to finish. Gobert’s drop coverage can shine against the league’s favorite offensive set, high ball screens. His talents are a significant reason Minnesota’s defense has performed so well.
He’s not a heavy-footed plodder, but switching onto guards on the perimeter isn’t the best use of his abilities. On the other hand, Jaden McDaniels excels on the perimeter. His quickness and length allow him to navigate around screens and dictate how ball handlers play. McDaniels does Gobert a favor by doing so. Both can exist in their element to cause headaches for opponents trying to find space to score.
Gobert’s drop coverage isn’t without weakness. Certain players can exploit all that space Gobert puts between himself and the opponent. If the on-ball defender can’t recover and at least push up against the ball handler’s back, the ball handler is free to move however they like. Three-point-happy guards will use the open space to retreat to the line for a three, as Dejounte Murray and Trae Young did in the Atlanta Hawks game.
In the clip below, Young receives an Onyeka Okongwu screen. Young quickly identifies Gobert’s common drop and snakes toward the space in the middle of the floor. Because Gobert and McDaniels know the type of coverage they’ll employ against pick-and-rolls, Gobert cannot switch onto Young and risk leaving the rolling Okongwu open. McDaniels recovers late and is fortunate Young misses the open shot.
Murray made 36.4% of his pull-up threes last season and can punish drop coverage. Like Young, he doesn’t take the pull-up immediately after getting around the screen. He could have, but he decides to crossover and pull up from the top of the key.
Even when the on-ball defender can recover, good shooting bigs can cause problems. There are dozens of players around the league who can space the floor for pick-and-pops. Should Gobert drop, he could leave such a shooter wide open.
Nikola Jokic and Pascal Siakam threatened the Timberwolves with their outside shooting.
Gobert and McDaniels could switch against Jamal Murray and Jokic. Gobert has proven he can handle driving guards, even ones of Murray’s skill level. McDaniels would be mismatched on Jokic, but he would have at least deterred the pass.
In the clip below, Shake Milton has no trouble keeping up with Dennis Schroder’s slow-tempo drive. However, Gobert must close out on Siakam after dropping. Siakam takes the open shot, like Jokic did in the previous clip.
These sorts of issues can be mitigated by combining their skills. Gobert will often fall back into his preferred coverage, where he’ll provide immense value. But having a nimble on-ball defender like McDaniels will theoretically cover up that biggest weakness.
McDaniels doesn’t have to completely recover and get his man back in front of him. But he needs to at least get back onto the ball handler’s hip or just behind him to limit his movement.
He has done that perfectly before:
McDaniels maneuvered around Clint Capela’s screen well enough to force Young to double back and change directions. Gobert meets him slightly higher than usual, and McDaniels wastes no time to recover. Gobert must switch back to Capela to deter a lob, and Young barely gets a layup off around McDaniels’ outstretched arms.
Those sorts of situations bring out the best of both of them. Gobert deters ball handlers from penetrating, and McDaniels recovers quickly enough to reset the possession. They’re both aware of their strengths and the jobs they each have. In the clip below, Gobert follows Jordan Clarkson as he attempts to do the same thing Young and Murray did. McDaniels is a tad late, and Gobert moves his hands to signal to McDaniels, you have to get here quicker.
Gobert and McDaniels are Minnesota’s best defenders. However, there have been many players so far that have contributed to the Wolves’ strong defensive rating. Naz Reid, Shake Milton, Mike Conley, and Kyle Anderson are 6th through 9th in defensive rating, respectively. However, Gobert and McDaniels are the biggest names and the likely duo that Chris Finch will use to counter opposing pick-and-rolls. They’re perfect for that task.
