Chris Finch discussed the team’s practice plans after the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 120-117 on Sunday afternoon. Specifically, he outlined his plans to fix Minnesota’s defense.
“Free up Rudy (Gobert) to be more aggressive,” he said. “There’s just a little bit too much indecision there, inconsistency there, about when he’s coming when he’s not. We need his presence every single time.”
Gobert has been every bit of the four-time Defensive Player of the Year this season that the Wolves have come to expect. However, there have been notable flaws with Minnesota’s defense, specifically when attempting to slow down opposing guards. As Finch alluded, the solution starts by getting Gobert more decisive in coverage.
First, it’s important to address how big of a problem Minnesota’s defense has been. Looking specifically at the guards who logged the most minutes over the past five games, their scoring and efficiency are staggering, especially given the litany of defenders the Wolves can throw at them. Below is a breakdown of the guard play against the Wolves, with their collective season averages in parentheses.
- Devin Booker, Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen – Suns (11/17)
- 75 combined points (45.1)
- 42.9% FG (42.4%)
- De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keon Ellis – Kings (11/15)
- 67 combined points (47.3)
- 54.3% FG (48.5%)
- Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Dalano Banton – Blazers (11/13)
- 57 combined points (39.9)
- 50.0% FG (45.5%)
- Sharpe, Henderson, Banton – Blazers (11/12)
- 41 combined points (39.9)
- 51.5% FG (45.5%)
- Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson – Heat (11/10)
- 45 combined points (47.3)
- 51.6% FG (42.9%)
The data above highlights that multiple teams have experienced an increase in their three-guard rotations’ production and efficiency against the Wolves, regardless of whether they are at home or on the road. In every case, the teams needed key rotational pieces like Malik Monk and Anfernee Simons.
The Phoenix Suns were missing Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, and the Miami Heat played without Jimmy Butler. That theoretically should have made containing their guards easier due to the downgrade in talent from a starter to a backup.
After practice on Tuesday, Finch offered his solution.
“Ball contain and rim protection have not been there consistently,” he avers. “So we’ve gotta get better at that. Rudy has to commit earlier when he’s out there. And when Rudy’s not out there, we have to have a more tight shell. Those types of things gotta be reinforced when you get a chance to practice.”
That meets the eye test. The Wolves have not been nearly as effective as last season in containing off pick-and-rolls. Combine that with hesitation from Gobert in helping, and guards can easily score in the midrange.
Below is an example of one of those instances in which Jones crosses up Mike Conley and attacks the rim. Gobert’s hesitation to commit allows for an easy floater.
In instances like the one above, the hesitation is understandable. If Gobert sells out to contest Jones, he would leave Mason Plumlee open under the basket. That’s where trust plays a part in defense. Gobert needs to trust that if he attacks Jones, Donte DiVincenzo will move more baseline and put a body on Plumlee.
That’s not ideal. However, the situation would cause Jones to force a tough pass to Plumlee or try to wrap a pass around and out to Royce O’Neale. Gobert’s hesitation causes DiVincenzo to freeze because he is unsure where to rotate, and the possession ends with Jones scoring.
The next Suns possession is nearly identical:
This is literally the next play.
Same Tyus Jones, just crossing Mike Conley over again, hesitation this time by Naz Reid, and an easy floater.
Also @Grady please don’t tear all of the CLs.
#BringTheNice #wolvesback pic.twitter.com/92Ejle7E4K
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) November 19, 2024
Jones crosses up Conley again before driving to the rim. Naz Reid hesitates to commit to contesting Jones, which causes Jones to have another easy floater for two points.
That’s back-to-back possessions where Minnesota’s ball containment allowed for a straight drive to the rim, and the hesitation from the bigs left the defense in no man’s land and unable to contest the shot well. Looking back, this problem has manifested in every game.
For example, here’s Fox speeding by McDaniels and Gobert again hesitating with help:
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this problem. The ball containment issue is likely due to certain matchups, but the Wolves also run a defense that focuses on funneling the attacking ball handler to Gobert in the paint.
Even though the defender got beat in all three examples, the Wolves directed the ball-handler into the paint.
The bigger issue is Gobert’s hesitation, which stems from having new teammates and needing to build trust in them. For example, if Gobert sold out on the Jones floater and no one rotated, Plumlee would have an uncontested dunk, which is an even higher percentage play.
On the third play, had Gobert fully sold out and no one rotated, Fox would have been able to sling the ball to Domantas Sabonis for a corner three.
With more game action comes more trust. Gobert can be more aggressive if his teammates trust him, allowing him to be the foundation of an elite defense.
It’s easy to be discouraged by Minnesota’s defense thus far in the season. However, they still rank 12th in defensive rating and are only 0.5 points away from being in the top ten, with much room to grow.
“It’s just being able to practice,” Conley said after practice. “We haven’t had a chance to practice and rep a lot of things that we’re trying to do on the court on a daily basis. We’re still trying to get used to new faces.”
The Wolves have three days off between their victory at home against Phoenix and their next game in Toronto. They will have plenty of time to practice the basics and build more chemistry. That could be the next step in regaining their elite defensive form from last season, or at least contain opposing teams’ guards.