While it didn’t seem too significant of a possession when Nickeil Alexander-Walker picked off an airmailed Portland Trail Blazers baseline inbound just minutes into the second quarter on Sunday. But his driving attack in transition to draw a foul would lead to free throws and the first transition points for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 116 minutes and 45 seconds of game time. Breaking a multiple-game streak that was the downfall of some of Minnesota’s worst losses recently.
The Sacramento Kings took full advantage of Minnesota’s live ball turnovers and missed shots by getting them out in the open court as often as possible. They racked up 19 fast-break points and didn’t allow the Wolves any the entire game.
By the end of Minnesota’s loss to the Kings, Sacramento’s fast-break advantage became evident. The Kings won all 50/50 balls, hit timely momentum-building shots, and scored easy baskets in their opportunities on live ball turnovers — especially in the second half when the Wolves turned the ball over seven times. Sacramento was missing its lead guard, De’Aaron Fox, but Domantas Sabonis was more than willing to push the ball off rebounds and facilitate others for open looks.
Minnesota continued this concerning trend into its next game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Like Sacramento, the Clippers also beat the Wolves with a 19-0 fast breakpoint advantage.
However, the Wolves lost to the Clippers because they didn’t get back and match up properly. Minnesota’s offense slowed through the final three quarters due to a lack of shot-making, leading to more LA rebounds and potential transitional opportunities. But no possession stood out as much as Norman Powell’s three-ball when Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards tried to execute a late switch. Conley and Edwards mistimed the switch, leading to Powell getting a wide-open look when he had a hot hand that extended the lead to four.
After another close win, it was easy to highlight the transitional deficit that the Wolves held again as the culprit.
Such a stretch and concerning possessions naturally caused consternation. The Wolves rank 29th in the league in fastbreak points scored per game, with only 12.1 per game. However, these games were only the second and third time an opponent has held the Wolves to 0 fast break points this season.
But similar to many of the Wolves’ offensive weaknesses, their league-bast defense cloaks many of their shortcomings. The Timberwolves rank fourth in the league in fastbreak defense, only allowing 13.2 per game. Add it up for a net of -1.1, which ranks 25th in the league.
But Minnesota’s transitional points allowed and scored per 100 possessions, which uses the same offensive and defensive rating formula, paints a better picture than the fast break points statistic.
According to CleaningTheGlass.com, the Wolves rank fifth in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions and ninth in opponent transition frequency. This again supports the idea that they can cover their tracks by having a stout defensive unit and the length to make life difficult for their opponents.
But turnovers are the issue that can be traced back to many of Minnesota’s core issues this season. In both losses, the Wolves had many careless turnovers, leading to easy run-outs for the opponents for wide-open dunks or layups. While stints of missed shots are bound to happen to the best of offenses, many of the live-ball turnovers the Timberwolves give away come back to bite them much more frequently than the long rebounds.
As long as the Wolves can find better ways to sustain a better and more consistent transition offense, their defense will be dependable. Small mistakes will always derail the train, though. The Timberwolves never want to give their opponents easy buckets, given that their half-court defense is incredible.
When the Wolves give opponents easy buckets, especially as the game begins to slow down in crunch time, they build a deficit they cannot overcome – especially with their late-game issues. By focusing on improving their turnover rate, Minnesota can have a dramatic impact on so many other parts of the game. Their offense and overall execution always have room to grow.
