3 reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves need to push the pace

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the more up-and-down teams in the NBA this season. A change in offensive philosophy could make up for a lackluster defense. This would help them close out games against tough defensive teams.

Per Basketball-Reference.com, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the 20th-ranked pace in the league on offense. Losses, like their recent 95-92 defeat at the hands of the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, underscore a bigger — and mostly regular season-related — problem: The T-Wolves play too slow. Minnesota wins games when it imposes its will offensively.

Whether it be by design, or the players simply getting to know each other, there are not enough quick actions that get everyone involved being executed by the Timberwolves.

Most Wolves possessions end in isolation plays for Jimmy Butler or Andrew Wiggins. The rest of the possessions end in either pick-and-roll action for Jamal Crawford or Jeff Teague. This strategy allows Minnesota to grind out wins. It can simply ride the hot hand and put games away. But when the team is getting outscored by so much at the 3-point line, it’s tough to make up for it in other areas.

Here are several reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves need to get more possessions of out of their offense.