The defense the champs don’t want to play

The defense the champs don’t want to play

I think I hated the Rudy gobear trade more for Minnesota than any trade for the last 30 years that I’ve hated for a team I didn’t like it from the beginning now you got to trade cat I hated it then I hate it now less versatile all the way

Around and it’s an embarrassment to the the city of Minnesota and the Timberwolves organization and I don’t know if this little Trio together is longterm going to get you in a position where you’re a contender last year the Wolves struggled through a disappointing season after making a blockbuster trade

And we actually detailed how they a typical pairing of goar and Carl Anthony towns wasn’t really working but that was last year so what exactly has changed since last season I actually think their recent game against the Mavs is a great window into why this team is so much

Better Dallas came out scorching hot on the back of Luca who had 18 points and seven assists Midway through the second quarter by attacking the Wolves drop coverage carving into the paint and using his size to shoot over defenders here it is again where he’s

Able to use the space in front of the drop coverage to put his defender in jail and then work to find a sweet spot so instead of unraveling after this 172 run to start the game they just went to work and chipped away at the lead and on

Defense adjusted their coverages to make it a little bit harder for Luca to get into the paint Carl Anthony towns comes way out to meet him here and Jaden McDaniels tightens the screws on the ball nearly turns him over and just hounds him the entire possession the

Next trip Dallas sets the screen even higher McDaniels wisely slides under to cut Luca off and then no one overh helps on donic Nas Reed and especially cat could react to Luca’s drive but they trust McDaniels to contain him everyone’s position perfectly and Anthony Edwards reacts for the steal

Then they throw another coverage at donic when Nel Alexander Walker jump switches to meet him that aggression slows him down briefly so when he uses the next screen towns is there to slide with them and then everyone’s perfectly placed on the pass and it’s another turnover and this is a quick quick

Second effort from cat recovering off ball to help take away any passing options compare that to a year ago where his effort and focus after the initial action was far more inconsistent so you’re more likely to see plays like this where he does a nice job meeting

The ball but then disengages a bit on the second effort and that can lead to defensive breakdowns here’s a play from this year where he lingers to provide provide nice help and then immediately recovers to the shooter and watch the total team effort here McDaniels is glued to Klay

Thompson both guards react to Cutters and that’s a tough shot at the end of the clock and even on the offensive rebound the effort and positioning is crisper and you end up with Incredible sequences like this now some of the changes also upgrading Personnel Mike Conley’s in a Zone here provides

Emergency help in the pain then recovers nicely to the perimeter then peels off to save a layup pass and that’s great recognition and activity to take away those primary actions last year D’Angelo Russell started 54 games and he inadvertently leaves here before there’s a rebound which was symptomatic

Of those old second effort issues Anthony Edwards in particular had a lot of sleepy moments last season as a 21-year-old but he’s reading the game better now look at this transition play where he’s matched on the weak side and when they double yic Edwards is ready to

Help and is athletic enough to save a dunk here’s one against the Mavs where he matches up with his man in the back court realizes Nel’s in trouble and explodes into position to help and then just Smothers the pass for a turnover to boot and then takes it the other way for

Maybe a few extra steps and a layup uh better engagement and communication make Minnesota’s Zone more effective too listen towns call this out and now cat is all the way on the other side to match up then recovers to the cutter and when they flash a shooter across the floor ant

Says so cat’s in position goar’s behind Edward shrinks the court and Conley’s all over the corner pass and that is how you do it this time time it’s perimeter quickness in the zone Alexander Walker Sprints to the pass and notice NZ Reed close and defend the corner pass then

Edwards pounces on the reversal McDaniels is ready when they swing a crosscourt and he funnels the ball to the big man and Cat contests nicely the Wolves will play zone drop coverage bring the big man out to the level of the screen and even come out and show

Near half court to bother players like donic goar will do this as well so he comes out and slides with Luca towns helps and then recovers quickly to the perimeter he lunges at an up fake but Rudy covers that up behind him and then Edwards gets a pretty good contest on

The three just look at how much size they have out there McDaniels is 69 cats a 7 footer then goar comes to dispel any notion of shooting and on the reset the Mavs again want to bring Rudy out high he comes all the way Beyond The Arc and

It takes that crazy Luca dribble to split the Defenders but a seven-footer is still waiting at the basket there’s more perfect rotations behind the play and now there’s no advantage and they end up with a really difficult mid-range fade from Grant Williams I actually think goar’s Mobility is pretty underrated he slides

With donic here and then denies the entry pass and extends all the way out to complete the steal and turn defense into offense for the Timberwolves the Mavs tried to move Luca off ball so he could come off a screen into a handoff and now Luca knows goar’s

Coming out to meet him so the roller can release freely but Rudy’s a step ahead and recovers beautifully to steal the pass here’s one more example from this game where goar’s at the free throw line usually the Baseline def Defender rotates over here but Rudy’s mobile

Enough to slide and choke off the drive and scoring on goar this year is like shoving a beach ball into a coffee cup when he’s on the floor teams are shooting 5% below League average at the rim and they are shooting it way less there chat holgren tries the up fake and

Drive here but goar shuts off every option and then as the shot clock is evaporating they end up with Rudy psyching out a jump ER and it’s another massive stand Chad might have been in his head there because a few minutes earlier goar somehow blocked this floater and an underrated part of his

Paint presence is how little he and his teammates foul when he’s out there patrolling the lane back in that Dallas game in addition to multiple coverages they also threw multiple bodies at Luca Kyle Anderson’s strong enough to deal with big wings and crack Cy enough to turn

Them over like that and that’s more defense into offense on this one uh that was close McDaniels was often Luca’s primary Defender and he’s good at navigating screens and just hounding ball handlers but he’s also good enough not to fixate on a superstar matchup telling Rudy his man slip behind him

Then just going and erasing a dunk himself and finally they threw Anthony Edwards at donic and he can string together these incredible possessions guarding the ball where he looks like the platonic ideal of a wing defender on a basketball court and even on the reset here he navigates the screen perfectly

And this is why Dallas scored just 53 points in the final 2 and 1/2 quarters of this game The Wolves currently have the best defensive rating in the league although to be fair this schedule has been soft and opponents are missing more open threes than usual but this this

Defense has improved from where they were at the end of last year when they defended the Nuggets better than any other opponent during Denver’s run to the title in their first matchup this season they’ve already given joic and Company fits holding them to a miserable 89 points in route to a blowout victory

For the Timberwolves the offensive fit between the two seven-footers still isn’t perfect although goar certainly Ben crisper with his spacing this season and on that end towns is healthy and posting good offensive numbers again this team is primarily winning with that defense built around Rudy goar’s Rim protection

The length and athleticism of its wings and some Dependable veterans who are in the right place at the right time so the question is no longer whether this Rudy gobear twin tower experiment will work the question with Minnesota has become just how far can this team go in the

2024 playoffs to support us directly check out patreon.com thinking basketball that’s where you can get our player and team stats boards to see information like how Minnesota is fairing defensively when accounting for opponent shooting or opponent’s strength of schedule let me know what you think of the Wolves

Defense and Improvement this year down below thanks for watching this one all the way through and of course I hope you are having a great day

The Minnesota Timberwolves at the top of the west with the NBA’s highest rated defense. This detailed film breakdown explores why Minnesota’s defense is better in 2024, what’s changed with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, their effective zone, big wings, and Rudy Gobert’s underrated mobility as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

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