For a team with substantially higher expectations going into this season than years past, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in an unorthodox position. Though they have rostered Andrew Wiggins, Karl Anthony-Towns and other young pieces for years, expectations immediately skyrocketed when they acquired Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls on draft night.
So far this season, Minnesota’s 8-5 record signifies solid play, but there are undoubtedly some holes that need to be addressed. According to Jimmy Butler himself, it’s been the defense that has been the ‘biggest letdown’: “Offense will never be the problem all year long,” Butler told ESPN’s Nick Friedell.” All you’re always going to hear about from us, from everybody else, is we’re not playing any defense. That is our biggest letdown right now. And until we fix it, a lot of outcomes are going to be like this one.”
The outcome Butler was referring to was a bad 118-110 loss to an inferior opponent in the Phoenix Suns. Though their record doesn’t show it, the Wolves’ play on the less glamorous end has been extremely sloppy to start the season. This type of lackluster defense is typically uncharacteristic for a team led by hard-nosed coach Tom Thibodeau.
Butler has always been one of those rare premier defensive talents, it’s instead about whether the younger players will buy in to lock an opponent down for 48 minutes. Both Towns and Wiggins have the ability to be remarkable defenders but neither has put it all together. Their length and athleticism should make the Wolves a terror on the defensive end but for some reason, those expectations just haven’t come to fruition this season.
With the plethora of other explosive teams in the Western Conference, the Wolves will need suffocating defense to become their staple if they want a shot at becoming a real threat in the postseason.
