Wolves Challenges and Potential for 2022-23 Season

[Monster]

Wolves trade for one of the top 3 defenders in the NBA and the question is whether or not they will be able to employ multiple schemes? It's a fair question. Meanwhile Finch somehow got the group of Wolves last year to be better than a middle of the road defense. Oh but they added Beverly and leaned on Vanderbilt. Sure that's great but the Wolves haven't been good on D for years. A few seasons ago the Wolves traded for Jimmy Butler and added Taj Gibson played for a defensive coach and they still weren't good on that end. Finch and his staff should be getting more credit for the Wolves success on that end last year. Will Finch and his staff be able to continue that success? Idk they have Gobert so it seems like it should be fairly easy to do relatively speaking.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I think some are making this more complicated in their minds than it needs to be. Simply, Rudy Gobert is a generational defender that significantly improves the play of his teammates by just existing. He also puts a lid on the rim, essentially taking away the most efficient shot in basketball, and that includes erasing scoring opportunities that were defensive mistakes by his teammates. He's an all-timer on that end and should be given more respect. Worrying about a couple lesser defenders in the same lineup dismisses how elite Gobert is, in my opinion.

Also, how often has Gobert anchored a defense that wasn't considered really good? Since 2015, or when Gobert became a full-time starter, the Utah Jazz produced just one season in which their team defensive rating was outside of the top-ten (13th in 2019). He did, however, anchor four top-five defenses during that stretch, though. And the list of teammates he's carried defensively along the way is extensive. Conversely, the Timberwolves currently have a better accumulation of athletes and defenders than Gobert's likely ever played with.

I'd argue there's a much better chance Minnesota has a top-five defense this season than the chance of them falling outside of the top-10. That's the Gobert effect. That's the impact he has.

[Q-is-here]

Last year Utah was ranked #9 on defense. I compare their top guys vs. our top guys this season as follows:

C - Gobert = Gobert
PF - KAT > Bogdanovic
SF - McDaniels = O'Neale
SG - Ant > Mitchell
PG - DLO < Conley
---------------------------
C - Reid or KAT < Whiteside
SG - Nowell < Clarkson
SF - Prince < Ingles
PF - Anderson > Gay

I think Utah's bench defense from last season is better than what we'll put out there this year. I'm hoping we're a top 10-12 defense.

[Monster]

Last year Utah was ranked #9 on defense. I compare their top guys vs. our top guys this season as follows:

C - Gobert = Gobert
PF - KAT > Bogdanovic
SF - McDaniels = O'Neale
SG - Ant > Mitchell
PG - DLO < Conley
---------------------------
C - Reid or KAT < Whiteside
SG - Nowell < Clarkson
SF - Prince < Ingles
PF - Anderson > Gay

I think Utah's bench defense from last season is better than what we'll put out there this year. I'm hoping we're a top 10-12 defense.

That's a good breakdown Q. I'll mention that Ingles only played 45 games including 15 starts. I've heard some Utah fans that said Ingles wasn't the guy he had been on either end and defensively he wasn't able to do what he had before. Maybe he still gets the nod over Prince but it might actually be closer to a wash. Utah had a fair amount of games lost due to injury last year as well.

It does seem like Clarkson went from at one point being a bad defender to a guy that doesn't suck on that end. Sometimes that's good enough to make a guy fairly valuable. It will be interesting to see how he fairs this year.

[Lipoli390]

Wolves trade for one of the top 3 defenders in the NBA and the question is whether or not they will be able to employ multiple schemes? It's a fair question. Meanwhile Finch somehow got the group of Wolves last year to be better than a middle of the road defense. Oh but they added Beverly and leaned on Vanderbilt. Sure that's great but the Wolves haven't been good on D for years. A few seasons ago the Wolves traded for Jimmy Butler and added Taj Gibson played for a defensive coach and they still weren't good on that end. Finch and his staff should be getting more credit for the Wolves success on that end last year. Will Finch and his staff be able to continue that success? Idk they have Gobert so it seems like it should be fairly easy to do relatively speaking.

Finch has raised the question, Monster, by saying that he intends to use both schemes. That's one more scheme than they used successfully last season and the players themselves observed in the article that playing different defensive schemes is very difficult to do. Meanwhile, Q expects the Wolves defense to end up with about the same defensive ranking they had last season.

We added the Leagues best or second-best defensive center to the roster and gave up a lot to get him. I hope it's as simple as Cam indicated and that the Wolves will be something close to a top 5 defense. That's the ticket to a top 4 finish and vindication for the Gobert deal.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'm trying to follow the thought process here so bear with me. Minnesota was 13th last season in defensive rating without much, if any, rim protection and poor defensive rebounding. They instead relied on a flawed-albeit-effective focus on forcing turnovers and outworking their opponents, which at times also led to the team being prone to committing fouls and giving up open three-point shots.

The Timberwolves will now transition to a much more reliable and formidable approach having personnel capable of playing various schemes. And they're led by a generational player on defense in Rudy Gobert, who will almost single-handedly solve the issues they had last year in regards to rim protection and defensive rebounding. Less significant, but still noteworthy, is the addition of Kyle Anderson, who has also graded out as an above average defender every year since his second year in the league. Those two are the key newcomers that will make the biggest difference defensively.

They'll primarily be replacing Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the rotation. Now, I'm a fan of both, but Minnesota improved there in a very big way. The Timberwolves will also have the luxury of playing one of Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns at all times rendering the backup center spot in the rotation moot. Basically, we shouldn't see too much of Naz Reid this season barring foul trouble or injury. That's another sizable upgrade in defensive ability given that Towns quietly performed well in several metrics.

So, while I understand the idea that the rest of the league should be healthier this season, and Minnesota lost a couple quality defenders this off-season, they also gained an elite defender and an above average defender to go along with the rest of the core that contributed to the 13th-best defense last year. I think the realistic target should be top-five and no less than top-10. If they fall out of that, then I will suspect something has gone terribly wrong and/or the team is underperforming, at least defensively.

[Q-is-here]

I'm trying to follow the thought process here so bear with me. Minnesota was 13th last season in defensive rating without much, if any, rim protection and poor defensive rebounding. They instead relied on a flawed-albeit-effective focus on forcing turnovers and outworking their opponents, which at times also led to the team being prone to committing fouls and giving up open three-point shots.

The Timberwolves will now transition to a much more reliable and formidable approach having personnel capable of playing various schemes. And they're led by a generational player on defense in Rudy Gobert, who will almost single-handedly solve the issues they had last year in regards to rim protection and defensive rebounding. Less significant, but still noteworthy, is the addition of Kyle Anderson, who has also graded out as an above average defender every year since his second year in the league. Those two are the key newcomers that will make the biggest difference defensively.

They'll primarily be replacing Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the rotation. Now, I'm a fan of both, but Minnesota improved there in a very big way. The Timberwolves will also have the luxury of playing one of Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns at all times rendering the backup center spot in the rotation moot. Basically, we shouldn't see too much of Naz Reid this season barring foul trouble or injury. That's another sizable upgrade in defensive ability given that Towns quietly performed well in several metrics.

So, while I understand the idea that the rest of the league should be healthier this season, and Minnesota lost a couple quality defenders this off-season, they also gained an elite defender and an above average defender to go along with the rest of the core that contributed to the 13th-best defense last year. I think the realistic target should be top-five and no less than top-10. If they fall out of that, then I will suspect something has gone terribly wrong and/or the team is underperforming, at least defensively.

I think top 10 is a reasonable goal, but I think you are kidding yourself if you think this team can be a top 5 defense. I already laid out my reasons as to why going player by player comparing last year's Jazz team to this upcoming season's Wolves team. And once you get past the individual players, I think this team is really going to struggle in transition defense.

Again, I am betting that what drives this team to 50+ wins is an elite offense with a defense that is hopefully firmly above average.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I think top 10 is a reasonable goal, but I think you are kidding yourself if you think this team can be a top 5 defense. I already laid out my reasons as to why going player by player comparing last year's Jazz team to this upcoming season's Wolves team. And once you get past the individual players, I think this team is really going to struggle in transition defense.

Again, I am betting that what drives this team to 50+ wins is an elite offense with a defense that is hopefully firmly above average.

The Utah Jazz had a defensive rating of 110.0 with Rudy Gobert on the court in 2021-22 and 117.0 (!) when he was off the court. What does that tell us? When Gobert is on the floor he anchors an elite defensive unit no matter who he's playing with and when he's off the floor the remaining parts in Utah were an awful defensive team. The fact the Jazz finished ninth in defensive rating is a testament to Gobert's greatness on that end as he ultimately carried that team.

Conversely, Minnesota had a defensive rating of 111.4 with Patrick Beverley on the court and 115.4 with him off the court. The Timberwolves had a 112.9 defensive rating with Jarred Vanderbilt on the court versus 109.8 with him off. What am I getting at here? While you can point to individual comparisons of players between the Jazz of last year and the Timberwolves of this year, the fact is that Minnesota has a better cluster of defensive talent than Utah had last year, and they're adding Gobert to that -- not to mention Kyle Anderson as well.

I think you're either severely underrating Gobert's individual impact on team defense or the surrounding parts Minnesota still has on the roster, or you're overrating the defenders Minnesota lost this off-season. I expect the Timberwolves to have a very good offense, but also a very good defense led by a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I see no legitimate reason why they couldn't threaten a top-five defensive rating this season.

[Q-is-here]

I think top 10 is a reasonable goal, but I think you are kidding yourself if you think this team can be a top 5 defense. I already laid out my reasons as to why going player by player comparing last year's Jazz team to this upcoming season's Wolves team. And once you get past the individual players, I think this team is really going to struggle in transition defense.

Again, I am betting that what drives this team to 50+ wins is an elite offense with a defense that is hopefully firmly above average.

The Utah Jazz had a defensive rating of 110.0 with Rudy Gobert on the court in 2021-22 and 117.0 (!) when he was off the court. What does that tell us? When Gobert is on the floor he anchors an elite defensive unit no matter who he's playing with and when he's off the floor the remaining parts in Utah were an awful defensive team. The fact the Jazz finished ninth in defensive rating is a testament to Gobert's greatness on that end as he ultimately carried that team.

Conversely, Minnesota had a defensive rating of 111.4 with Patrick Beverley on the court and 115.4 with him off the court. The Timberwolves had a 112.9 defensive rating with Jarred Vanderbilt on the court versus 109.8 with him off. What am I getting at here? While you can point to individual comparisons of players between the Jazz of last year and the Timberwolves of this year, the fact is that Minnesota has a better cluster of defensive talent than Utah had last year, and they're adding Gobert to that -- not to mention Kyle Anderson as well.

I think you're either severely underrating Gobert's individual impact on team defense or the surrounding parts Minnesota still has on the roster, or you're overrating the defenders Minnesota lost this off-season. I expect the Timberwolves to have a very good offense, but also a very good defense led by a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I see no legitimate reason why they couldn't threaten a top-five defensive rating this season.

Outside of Gobert, we literally have only two proven "plus" defensive players on the roster in my opinion - Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson. Everyone else is average-ish, below average, or just plain bad. The bottom line is that I don't think our supporting cast of defenders is all that different from last year's Utah team. I hope I'm proven wrong!

[Lipoli390]

I think top 10 is a reasonable goal, but I think you are kidding yourself if you think this team can be a top 5 defense. I already laid out my reasons as to why going player by player comparing last year's Jazz team to this upcoming season's Wolves team. And once you get past the individual players, I think this team is really going to struggle in transition defense.

Again, I am betting that what drives this team to 50+ wins is an elite offense with a defense that is hopefully firmly above average.

The Utah Jazz had a defensive rating of 110.0 with Rudy Gobert on the court in 2021-22 and 117.0 (!) when he was off the court. What does that tell us? When Gobert is on the floor he anchors an elite defensive unit no matter who he's playing with and when he's off the floor the remaining parts in Utah were an awful defensive team. The fact the Jazz finished ninth in defensive rating is a testament to Gobert's greatness on that end as he ultimately carried that team.

Conversely, Minnesota had a defensive rating of 111.4 with Patrick Beverley on the court and 115.4 with him off the court. The Timberwolves had a 112.9 defensive rating with Jarred Vanderbilt on the court versus 109.8 with him off. What am I getting at here? While you can point to individual comparisons of players between the Jazz of last year and the Timberwolves of this year, the fact is that Minnesota has a better cluster of defensive talent than Utah had last year, and they're adding Gobert to that -- not to mention Kyle Anderson as well.

I think you're either severely underrating Gobert's individual impact on team defense or the surrounding parts Minnesota still has on the roster, or you're overrating the defenders Minnesota lost this off-season. I expect the Timberwolves to have a very good offense, but also a very good defense led by a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I see no legitimate reason why they couldn't threaten a top-five defensive rating this season.

Outside of Gobert, we literally have only two proven "plus" defensive players on the roster in my opinion - Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson. Everyone else is average-ish, below average, or just plain bad. The bottom line is that I don't think our supporting cast of defenders is all that different from last year's Utah team. I hope I'm proven wrong!

I agree, Q. And I too hope you're proven wrong.