Surprise! The Minnesota Timberwolves Are Terrible No More

Things were getting really ugly.

For a while, between the dreary months of November and January, it looked as if the Minnesota Timberwolves were poised to become one of the worst teams of the modern era.

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Specifically, from the time star point guard Ricky Rubio went down with a severe ankle sprain on Nov. 8, to his return from said injury on Feb. 2, the ‘Wolves posted a league worst 113.8 Defensive Rating, per Basketball-Reference.

To put that into perspective, that inept mark would have been the sixth worst in NBA history; and when taking into account the league average this season for Defensive Rating of 105.5, the Timberwolves would have had a legitimate gripe of being the worst defense of all-time.

However, the respective returns of veterans Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic, in combination with a rejuvenated Rubio, have effectively safeguarded Minnesota from achieving historic incompetence.

Relying On The Young Pups

Fans of lottery-bound teams most often times sour at the thought of giving their veteran core playing time at the expense of their young prospects. They want their rookies and second year players to develop on the fly, and develop quickly.

For some prospects, like Andrew Wiggins, the “throw them into the fire” strategy works; you literally see them improving and gaining more confidence with each passing game.

For others, like Anthony Bennett, their expanded role overwhelms them. In turn, they crumble under the added pressure.

The T-Wolves compounded such issues early on, driven in large by their rash of injuries, by constructing a lineup full of raw, immature talent.

More prominently, led by wide-eyed 19-year-old point guard, Zach LaVine, the flow and pace of each game was not conducive to skill development and in-game adjustments.

Moreover, in an era where defensive schemes are more sophisticated than ever, most rookies — let alone teenage rooks — don’t have the mental capacity to carry out such complicated strategies, especially when the game is going at 100 miles an hour for them.

For such reasons, over the last couple of years, fresh-faced first-year players around the association have been hard pressed to break into the regular rotation.

The Power Of Experience

Not surprisingly, since the beginning of February — when, for the first time since opening night, the Timberwolves enjoyed the luxury of a full healthy roster — Minnesota’s overall efficiency, on both ends of the floor, has skyrocketed.

Spearheaded by the controlled chaos instilled by an able-bodied Rubio, the Wolves are finally using the entirety of their athletic prowess. More specifically, they are playing with pace and pushing the tempo on their own terms — attributes made only possible through the brilliance and ingeniousness of a pure all-encompassing point guard.

Chiefly, they’re scoring on the break after timely stops and forced turnovers, running selectively, while taking a more judicious approach to their allocation of shots.

As a result, their eFG% (effective field goal percentage) and TS% (true shooting percentage) as a team, along with their offensive efficiency, has exponentially escalated since the basketball gods blessed the Wolves with a clean bill of health.

Meanwhile, the insertion of Martin has given the Timberwolves a consistent perimeter scoring threat alongside Wiggins.

Likewise, Pekovic remains one of the few back-to-the-basket centers in the association that commands a double team. This year, however, Pekovic has recognized the hard digs and stunts he sees on a nightly-basis in a more astute manner. As such, he has been a much better passer, out of the post, than years past.

Most notably, he has built a nice rapport with Wiggins, often finding his gangly teammate on timely cuts and spot-ups as he operates on the block.

Below is a table summarizing the impact the Timberwolves’ contingent of veterans have made since Rubio’s return into Minnesota’s lineup:

The injection of veteran leadership not only stabilized the Timberwolves’ attack, and more importantly, shored up their defense, it has also enabled coach Flip Saunders to play his youngsters, namely LaVine and Wiggins, in roles that suit their current set of NBA skills.

In particular for LaVine, who was indiscreetly utilized as the team’s lone primary ballhandler — often forming a perimeter trio with ballhandling novelists, Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad — for 30 minutes a game while Rubio was sidelined, the reigning Slam Dunk Champion has recently slid back into a more apropos combo guard role; either, playing off the ball with Rubio on the floor, or sharing the initiator duties with the newly acquired Gary Neal while the second unit is holding down the fort.

Sure enough, his playing time has diminished due to the ‘Wolves’ newfound backcourt depth. At the same time, though, it has unleashed LaVine to play with more vigor, displaying a constant aggressiveness we had not seen from the string-bean jumping jack during the prior months.

In fact, over the last 11 games, LaVine has managed to increase his eFG% and TS% from a middling 49.1 percent and 44.6 percent during his first 43 contests in the NBA, to 51.1 percent and 47.1 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, while the Wolves’ contingent of veterans was sidelined, Wiggins excelled with the added responsibilities heaped upon him. Accordingly, his playing time has yet to wane since the return of Rubio, Martin, and Pekovic.

However, with the attention drawn from the aforementioned trio of veterans, it has freed Wiggins to attack the rim and eliminate a large proportion of the dreaded long twos Andrew had grown accustomed to taking when serving as the lead singer of the Timberwolves.

For the season, over 23.2 percent of his shots derive from the 16-24 feet areas of the floor, while 44.4 percent of his shots come from 10 feet and in. Over the last 12 games, however, Wiggins has increased his at-the-rim attempts to 45.6 percent, while declining his reliance on long two attempts to 17.3 percent, per NBA.com.

The KG Effect

Saunders capped off his extravagant infusion of veteran leadership at the NBA Trade Deadline by bringing the franchise’s most decorated player, Kevin Garnett, back to the Twin Cities.

While, at 38 years young, the Big Ticket’s days as a MVP-caliber player are long gone, his austere demeanor and intense disposition still commands a certain aura of respect out of his teammates. More importantly, his all-business approach holds everyone, especially the Wolves’ battalion of young pups, accountable.

Garnett is still a culture-changer — losing is unacceptable for the former NBA champion. The second he walks into the room, he has the attention, eyes and ears of everyone within the vicinity.

In an interview with Tom Powers of the Twin Cities’ Pioneer Press, Saunders candidly spoke about KG’s instant presence in the Timberwolves’ locker room:

“As one of our veteran guys told our young guys yesterday, ‘Hey, listen, when KG walks in the locker room your phones better be tucked away, because if they’re not, they’re going to get thrown in the toilet on game night.'”

On the court, Garnett’s constant barking and accomplished defensive acumen has already transformed the ‘Wolves into a more cohesive, active squad on defense, despite his physical limitations.

Explicitly, he’ll tell players where to go, what the other team is running, and provide help on the weakside. And on nights when KG’s amped, he can still do this:

As such, since his return home, the Timberwolves have boasted the league’s 11th best defense, allowing just 99.8 points per 100 possessions over the past five games, per NBA.com.

For the first time since KG’s last stint with the franchise, everything is starting to trend upwards for the Timberwolves. Not only do they house the surefire Rookie of the Year in Wiggins, the NBA’s most electrifying dunker in LaVine, and the association’s most creative passer in Rubio, the Minnesota Timerwolves have, as well, successfully blended the past, future, and present into one big entertaining melting pot.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

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