Timberwolves’ Offense on the Cusp of Improvement: A Deep Dive into Stats and Strategies
As we analyze the Minnesota Timberwolves’ current standing, it’s fascinating to note how eerily similar both the offensive and defensive units are to where the team ended up last season. The Wolves’ offense isn’t far from being reasonably better than it is right now, and potentially surpassing last year’s modest performance.
Defensively, the Timberwolves have climbed to third in the league, a significant improvement from their middle-of-the-pack position just a few weeks ago. They’ve been dominating in effective field goal percentage and defensive rating league-wide for a month now.
Offensive Challenges and Opportunities
On the offensive end, the story is a bit different. While turnover and offensive rebound rates remain similar to last season, the team is struggling with a lower free throw rate and a decreased effective field goal percentage. The Timberwolves are shooting more three-pointers than ever before, with nearly half of their field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. However, their three-point percentage has dipped from last year’s impressive 38.7% to 37.1% this season.
The decrease in shooting efficiency isn’t due to poor shot selection. The team is generating mostly open shots, but key players are simply missing shots they made last season. Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley, and Naz Reid are all shooting below their career averages from three-point range and have seen significant dips in percentage from the marks that they each put up just last season. There’s reason to believe these percentages will improve as the season progresses, potentially providing a significant boost to the offense.
Shot Distribution and Free Throw Rate
Another area of concern is the decrease in shots at the rim and in the short mid-range, which has led to a lower free throw rate. Anthony Edwards, in particular, has seen a significant shift in his shot distribution. While he’s increased his three-point attempts, his shots at the rim have decreased in frequency from 31% last year to just 23% this year. This change has directly impacted his free throw attempts, which are at a career low.
For the Timberwolves to improve offensively, they need to find a balance between maintaining their increased three-point volume and getting more attempts at the rim. This adjustment should naturally lead to more free throw opportunities and a more efficient offense overall.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Timberwolves’ offensive strategies, tune into the Locked On Wolves podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Wolves Podcast:
• College Football Playoff preview
• Detailed breakdown of Timberwolves’ defensive improvements
• Analysis of individual player shooting trends and their impact on team performance
