Wolves Challenges and Potential for 2022-23 Season

[Lipoli390]

A good article on five key questions regarding the Wolves hearing into this next season:

https://www.inforum.com/sports/pro/5-questions-facing-the-timberwolves-as-training-camp-begins

[Monster]

Beverly should get a ton of credit for what he brought to the Wolves last year but sometimes I think Finch doesn't get credit for the fire of the team and success on defense he deserves. He is the only Wolves coach since Sam Mitchell who seemed willing to make a player accountable via playing time.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Beverly should get a ton of credit for what he brought to the Wolves last year but sometimes I think Finch doesn't get credit for the fire of the team and success on defense he deserves. He is the only Wolves coach since Sam Mitchell who seemed willing to make a player accountable via playing time.

I think Finch deserves credit for getting the Wolves to be an average defensive team... especially because it took so much smoke and mirrors just to get to that level.

[Lipoli390]

Beverly should get a ton of credit for what he brought to the Wolves last year but sometimes I think Finch doesn't get credit for the fire of the team and success on defense he deserves. He is the only Wolves coach since Sam Mitchell who seemed willing to make a player accountable via playing time.

Great point, Monster!

[Lipoli390]

Another good article. This one discusses the challenge of switching between two different defensive schemes as a result of adding Gobert:

https://www.inforum.com/sports/pro/timberwolves-plan-to-have-two-defensive-schemes-one-with-rudy-gobert-one-without

Here's the most telling passage from the article about the challenge the Wolves will face in alternating between two very different defensive schemes based on whether Gobert is on the floor:

That would make Minnesota one of few teams in the NBA to execute multiple, non-zone defensive schemes within the same game on a regular basis. Wolves forward Kyle Anderson noted it's something only the elite teams -- Golden State, Milwaukee and a few others -- can pull off.

"I don't think a lot of teams do it," Anderson said. "It's tough, because you go out and practice one thing and you're asking your players to do something different in the game. It's tough for everybody to be on the same page, but I think we're totally capable of it here. I think coach Finch is going to put us in the right position, and we've got guys who are willing to learn and execute. We're going to go out and do whatever he asks."

It's a big ask for the Timberwolves, who struggled to shift looks between games last season. Finch tried to employ a more switch-heavy look for a short period in the second half of last year's schedule to better prepare the team for the playoffs. It was such a disaster that the approach was trashed almost immediately.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

If I recall correctly, it was actually the Wolves' players that wanted to try a more switch-specific defense last season, as I don't think Chris Finch is a fan of employing that and dealing with the mismatches. The players eventually got killed on that end by not playing as aggressive or with as much effort, and Finch was forced to revert back to what was actually working.

I think this season will be a little different though given that Rudy Gobert is a proven anchor and the best defensive big in the league. He has the ability to do almost anything you need on that end, and that obviously includes playing drop coverage, which just wasn't even an option last year.

[Q-is-here]

Defense will be a work in progress. It doesn't help that we have two unintelligent defenders in the starting lineup (Ant and KAT), a foul-prone one in McDaniels, and then there is DLO (laziness). Hard to see the starting unit grasping advanced concepts and changes.

I think Gobert, Prince, and Anderson all have the experience and intelligence to play different schemes. But that's not enough.

We need to shoot for being a top 10-12 team defensively and then try to be top 4 or 5 offensively.

[Coolbreeze44]

Rudy's presence is going to make everyone's job on defense easier. With him protecting the rim, it all comes down to effort and communication from the other 4 players on the floor. It could take some time for things to gel completely, but I think you will see immediate improvement when the season starts. Not only that, think of some of the defensive lineups we will be able to put out there.

[Lipoli390]

Defense will be a work in progress. It doesn't help that we have two unintelligent defenders in the starting lineup (Ant and KAT), a foul-prone one in McDaniels, and then there is DLO (laziness). Hard to see the starting unit grasping advanced concepts and changes.

I think Gobert, Prince, and Anderson all have the experience and intelligence to play different schemes. But that's not enough.

We need to shoot for being a top 10-12 team defensively and then try to be top 4 or 5 offensively.

That's a bit troubling, Q. The Wolves were 13th in the league defensively last season. I'd like to think the team will improve more than 1 - 3 slots defensively after all they gave up to get Gobert.

[Q-is-here]

Defense will be a work in progress. It doesn't help that we have two unintelligent defenders in the starting lineup (Ant and KAT), a foul-prone one in McDaniels, and then there is DLO (laziness). Hard to see the starting unit grasping advanced concepts and changes.

I think Gobert, Prince, and Anderson all have the experience and intelligence to play different schemes. But that's not enough.

We need to shoot for being a top 10-12 team defensively and then try to be top 4 or 5 offensively.

That's a bit troubling, Q. The Wolves were 13th in the league defensively last season. I'd like to think the team will improve more than 1 - 3 slots defensively after all they gave up to get Gobert.

I think our competition will be better this year (i.e. healthier) and he will help us get better as a team, but I just see some tradeoffs in swapping him in for PBev and Vando, two very versatile defenders that had a lot of dog in them. The net of it is still a better defense, but as long as KAT and DLO play big minutes, it's hard for me to see this team ever becoming a top 5 or 6 defense. So it's less about Rudy and more about two of the other stars on the team.

Personally, I think his impact on offense will be immense. Swapping Vando out for his minutes is a massive upgrade. His screening and ability to put pressure on the rim will have a bigger influence on that side of the ball IMO.