Stats Tracker 2026-27 Season

[Q-is-here]

To me the big surprise of the season is the defense. We are #1 in the NBA by a fair margin and we are getting to the point where it can't just be sample-size/schedule related.

I think two things have changed on that front from last year's #8 ranked defense (which was still really good of course). The first is culture. It seems clear that in camp and pre-season the team set their mind to getting back to being a defensive team first and foremost. We've seen it in the way Ant played early on and how Ball has given full effort on that end. Everyone else has fallen in line. And Rudy is as good as ever on that end.

The second is personnel. Of course the defense takes a hit when Rudy sits, but it's not nearly as bad as last season. Depending on which stats site you use, we're about 6 points per 100 possessions better defensively than last year when Rudy sits. I think having a real backup Center in Joan and an elite POA defender in Clark become regular parts of the rotation has really helped with those "Rudy Off" defensive numbers. And Shannon has turned himself from a major defensive liability into neutral-ish, although we still see some hiccups from time to time.

[Monster]

To me the big surprise of the season is the defense. We are #1 in the NBA by a fair margin and we are getting to the point where it can't just be sample-size/schedule related.

I think two things have changed on that front from last year's #8 ranked defense (which was still really good of course). The first is culture. It seems clear that in camp and pre-season the team set their mind to getting back to being a defensive team first and foremost. We've seen it in the way Ant played early on and how Ball has given full effort on that end. Everyone else has fallen in line. And Rudy is as good as ever on that end.

The second is personnel. Of course the defense takes a hit when Rudy sits, but it's not nearly as bad as last season. Depending on which stats site you use, we're about 6 points per 100 possessions better defensively than last year when Rudy sits. I think having a real backup Center in Joan and an elite POA defender in Clark become regular parts of the rotation has really helped with those "Rudy Off" defensive numbers. And Shannon has turned himself from a major defensive liability into neutral-ish, although we still see some hiccups from time to time.

How much credit should Kuminga get for the defense?

In terms of other stats Jim Peterson said during he Mavs game Joan and Lyles have a good rating together. Anyone have those numbers?

[60WinTim]

To me the big surprise of the season is the defense. We are #1 in the NBA by a fair margin and we are getting to the point where it can't just be sample-size/schedule related.

I think two things have changed on that front from last year's #8 ranked defense (which was still really good of course). The first is culture. It seems clear that in camp and pre-season the team set their mind to getting back to being a defensive team first and foremost. We've seen it in the way Ant played early on and how Ball has given full effort on that end. Everyone else has fallen in line. And Rudy is as good as ever on that end.

The second is personnel. Of course the defense takes a hit when Rudy sits, but it's not nearly as bad as last season. Depending on which stats site you use, we're about 6 points per 100 possessions better defensively than last year when Rudy sits. I think having a real backup Center in Joan and an elite POA defender in Clark become regular parts of the rotation has really helped with those "Rudy Off" defensive numbers. And Shannon has turned himself from a major defensive liability into neutral-ish, although we still see some hiccups from time to time.

How much credit should Kuminga get for the defense?

In terms of other stats Jim Peterson said during he Mavs game Joan and Lyles have a good rating together. Anyone have those numbers?

I was going to pipe in with the Kuminga take as well, but Q's focus was on comparing the bench units from this year to last year, so I left it alone.

But, since you bring it up. Kuminga has been leaps and bounds better than I expected. On both ends of the court. On defense he is working his butt off, and his ability to defend both bigs, wings and guards is a notable reason the starting unit is so solid on defense -- we don't seem to have a glaring weak link! (credit to LaMelo's size and effort, too).

And the offense has been terrific, too. Not a ball stopper, is racking up assists, and hits his 3s. Not much to complain about.

Hopefully, he's so happy with the fit (which he found out can be a huge obstacle on other teams) that he's willing to accept a full MLE next offseason...

[Q-is-here]

There is no question Kuminga has been a HUGE help defensively. The defensive versatility we now have with both Kuminga and Jaden as "big wings" with Rudy backing them up has made Finch's job much easier. Everyone basically guards their man with very little gap help, blitzes, or doubles needed. Kuminga has taken on one tough assignment after another and has held his own.

As for the Beringer-Lyles pairing, they have a whopping +21.9 Net Rating together (Ortg of 118.9, Drtg of 97.0). Let's just say that is almost too good to believe and will likely come down. But still, I suspect by the end of the season their net rating as a pair will exceed Randle and Naz from last season, which was +2.7 (Ortg of 116.3, Drtg of 113.7).

[Monster]

To me the big surprise of the season is the defense. We are #1 in the NBA by a fair margin and we are getting to the point where it can't just be sample-size/schedule related.

I think two things have changed on that front from last year's #8 ranked defense (which was still really good of course). The first is culture. It seems clear that in camp and pre-season the team set their mind to getting back to being a defensive team first and foremost. We've seen it in the way Ant played early on and how Ball has given full effort on that end. Everyone else has fallen in line. And Rudy is as good as ever on that end.

The second is personnel. Of course the defense takes a hit when Rudy sits, but it's not nearly as bad as last season. Depending on which stats site you use, we're about 6 points per 100 possessions better defensively than last year when Rudy sits. I think having a real backup Center in Joan and an elite POA defender in Clark become regular parts of the rotation has really helped with those "Rudy Off" defensive numbers. And Shannon has turned himself from a major defensive liability into neutral-ish, although we still see some hiccups from time to time.

How much credit should Kuminga get for the defense?

In terms of other stats Jim Peterson said during he Mavs game Joan and Lyles have a good rating together. Anyone have those numbers?

I was going to pipe in with the Kuminga take as well, but Q's focus was on comparing the bench units from this year to last year, so I left it alone.

But, since you bring it up. Kuminga has been leaps and bounds better than I expected. On both ends of the court. On defense he is working his butt off, and his ability to defend both bigs, wings and guards is a notable reason the starting unit is so solid on defense -- we don't seem to have a glaring weak link! (credit to LaMelo's size and effort, too).

And the offense has been terrific, too. Not a ball stopper, is racking up assists, and hits his 3s. Not much to complain about.

Hopefully, he's so happy with the fit (which he found out can be a huge obstacle on other teams) that he's willing to accept a full MLE next offseason...

I'm trying not to look ahead because it's still early but just for fun is there anything that would keep the Wolves from rolling with I would assume Bones low cap hold and then resigning him using bird rights after other transactions?

[Monster]

There is no question Kuminga has been a HUGE help defensively. The defensive versatility we now have with both Kuminga and Jaden as "big wings" with Rudy backing them up has made Finch's job much easier. Everyone basically guards their man with very little gap help, blitzes, or doubles needed. Kuminga has taken on one tough assignment after another and has held his own.

As for the Beringer-Lyles pairing, they have a whopping +21.9 Net Rating together (Ortg of 118.9, Drtg of 97.0). Let's just say that is almost too good to believe and will likely come down. But still, I suspect by the end of the season their net rating as a pair will exceed Randle and Naz from last season, which was +2.7 (Ortg of 116.3, Drtg of 113.7).

Thanks Q.

As many of you know I was a big Randle guy although I recognized his flaws. When he was bought into defense etc he was often pretty good. The thing was he simply wasn't consistent game in game out. Meanwhile Naz improved his rebounding and became more solid on defense but he wasn't an asset on that end really. Idk if Lyles is that much better of a defender than Naz but as a PF and small ball center he is more of that type of guy whereas Naz was more of an oversized SF although he did rebound well and has increased that this season in Charlotte which should mentioned along with some other struggles.

Anyways back to Kuminga the guy has been ballin on defense so far. Let's hope he keeps it up.

[Q-is-here]

There is no question Kuminga has been a HUGE help defensively. The defensive versatility we now have with both Kuminga and Jaden as "big wings" with Rudy backing them up has made Finch's job much easier. Everyone basically guards their man with very little gap help, blitzes, or doubles needed. Kuminga has taken on one tough assignment after another and has held his own.

As for the Beringer-Lyles pairing, they have a whopping +21.9 Net Rating together (Ortg of 118.9, Drtg of 97.0). Let's just say that is almost too good to believe and will likely come down. But still, I suspect by the end of the season their net rating as a pair will exceed Randle and Naz from last season, which was +2.7 (Ortg of 116.3, Drtg of 113.7).

Thanks Q.

As many of you know I was a big Randle guy although I recognized his flaws. When he was bought into defense etc he was often pretty good. The thing was he simply wasn't consistent game in game out. Meanwhile Naz improved his rebounding and became more solid on defense but he wasn't an asset on that end really. Idk if Lyles is that much better of a defender than Naz but as a PF and small ball center he is more of that type of guy whereas Naz was more of an oversized SF although he did rebound well and has increased that this season in Charlotte which should mentioned along with some other struggles.

Anyways back to Kuminga the guy has been ballin on defense so far. Let's hope he keeps it up.

I would say that Lyles does the little things better than Naz - stuff that doesn't may be show up in the box score - just in terms of his positioning and knowing where to be defensively. Naz was a lot louder with both his mistakes and his positive defensive play making. A lot of Charlotte fans aren't too thrilled with Naz's defense right now....

[rapsuperstar31]

How much credit should Kuminga get for the defense?

In terms of other stats Jim Peterson said during he Mavs game Joan and Lyles have a good rating together. Anyone have those numbers?

I was going to pipe in with the Kuminga take as well, but Q's focus was on comparing the bench units from this year to last year, so I left it alone.

But, since you bring it up. Kuminga has been leaps and bounds better than I expected. On both ends of the court. On defense he is working his butt off, and his ability to defend both bigs, wings and guards is a notable reason the starting unit is so solid on defense -- we don't seem to have a glaring weak link! (credit to LaMelo's size and effort, too).

And the offense has been terrific, too. Not a ball stopper, is racking up assists, and hits his 3s. Not much to complain about.

Hopefully, he's so happy with the fit (which he found out can be a huge obstacle on other teams) that he's willing to accept a full MLE next offseason...

I'm trying not to look ahead because it's still early but just for fun is there anything that would keep the Wolves from rolling with I would assume Bones low cap hold and then resigning him using bird rights after other transactions?

I don't think Bones will be here if he costs more than the min next year. I still have to see Bones perform in the playoffs to even think about giving him more than the min. He's a solid innings eater in the regular season, when he's on. I don't see the team going into the 2nd apron as we still need to stay under it for one more year to get our frozen pick back. They want to bring back Donte, and even if Rudy takes a pay cut on a longer term extension the money is very tight. Getting a pf to replace Kuminga is gong to be tough assuming he gets a big contract somewhere else, so they are going to need another pf to take a short term contract to up their value and win a ring. But those are problems for the summer, lets get that ring this year and figure it out. If we do get that ring, hopefully we don't go cheap like the Knicks owner which seems to be effecting their mood especially Josh Harts.

[TAFKASP]

How much credit should Kuminga get for the defense?

In terms of other stats Jim Peterson said during he Mavs game Joan and Lyles have a good rating together. Anyone have those numbers?

I was going to pipe in with the Kuminga take as well, but Q's focus was on comparing the bench units from this year to last year, so I left it alone.

But, since you bring it up. Kuminga has been leaps and bounds better than I expected. On both ends of the court. On defense he is working his butt off, and his ability to defend both bigs, wings and guards is a notable reason the starting unit is so solid on defense -- we don't seem to have a glaring weak link! (credit to LaMelo's size and effort, too).

And the offense has been terrific, too. Not a ball stopper, is racking up assists, and hits his 3s. Not much to complain about.

Hopefully, he's so happy with the fit (which he found out can be a huge obstacle on other teams) that he's willing to accept a full MLE next offseason...

I'm trying not to look ahead because it's still early but just for fun is there anything that would keep the Wolves from rolling with I would assume Bones low cap hold and then resigning him using bird rights after other transactions?

As I understand it, Bird rights don't apply. I heard he has to have two seasons with the wolves, and even then it's only partial Bird rights, it would be three for full. either that or I completely misunderstood what Dane Moore was saying... a distinct possibility! LOL

[Monster]

I was going to pipe in with the Kuminga take as well, but Q's focus was on comparing the bench units from this year to last year, so I left it alone.

But, since you bring it up. Kuminga has been leaps and bounds better than I expected. On both ends of the court. On defense he is working his butt off, and his ability to defend both bigs, wings and guards is a notable reason the starting unit is so solid on defense -- we don't seem to have a glaring weak link! (credit to LaMelo's size and effort, too).

And the offense has been terrific, too. Not a ball stopper, is racking up assists, and hits his 3s. Not much to complain about.

Hopefully, he's so happy with the fit (which he found out can be a huge obstacle on other teams) that he's willing to accept a full MLE next offseason...

I'm trying not to look ahead because it's still early but just for fun is there anything that would keep the Wolves from rolling with I would assume Bones low cap hold and then resigning him using bird rights after other transactions?

I don't think Bones will be here if he costs more than the min next year. I still have to see Bones perform in the playoffs to even think about giving him more than the min. He's a solid innings eater in the regular season, when he's on. I don't see the team going into the 2nd apron as we still need to stay under it for one more year to get our frozen pick back. They want to bring back Donte, and even if Rudy takes a pay cut on a longer term extension the money is very tight. Getting a pf to replace Kuminga is gong to be tough assuming he gets a big contract somewhere else, so they are going to need another pf to take a short term contract to up their value and win a ring. But those are problems for the summer, lets get that ring this year and figure it out. If we do get that ring, hopefully we don't go cheap like the Knicks owner which seems to be effecting their mood especially Josh Harts.

Mostly I asked that out of curiosity. I think in theory (I agree there are other considerations) I would bring back Bones for 5-6 million a year if he ends up putting together another good regular season. As for the playoffs I could see him doing better if he had to play this year because the play state and roster fits him better than last year. Still he might not be a good option against teams with bigger guards. Still if he can get buckets for a few minutes that could be worthwhile in the playoffs. Ideally Pullin would be resigned for cheap and be part of the PG depth if Bones left. To me the big thing would be if Bones definitely prices himself out of the Wolves plans that means he played well and also would encourage other players to sign here to take a step forward in their career.