Can Minnesota Timberwolves continue great run? Yes … and no
By Ethan Becker
Why it will stop: Defense
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, the Minnesota Timberwolves defense needs to stay at the level it’s at.
Defense has been a thorn in the side of the Timberwolves organization for years now and no matter what they’ve done to try and improve it, any step they take seems to backfire on them.
Currently, the Timberwolves are near the top of the league in defense. After Monday’s loss, they were 11th in the league in contested shots per game, ninth in the league in blocks per game, eighth in the league in defensive rating, fifth in the league in deflections per game and second in the league in steals per game.
If Minnesota can keep this level of play up, there shouldn’t be any problem. However, historically, they haven’t been able to keep up any sort of defensive intensity. And the seeds of that are already starting to take root.
The Timberwolves are 15th in opponent free throws attempted, 17th in opponent offensive rebounds, 16th in opponent field goal percentage, and 29th in opponent 3-point percentage. If those rates continue, Minnesota won’t be able to keep up this great run.