Golden State Warriors: 5 Teams That Could Be Like Them In 2013-14
By Joe Moore
Minnesota Timberwolves
Plagued by injuries, the Wolves finished a disappointing 31-51. With health hopefully on their side, the Wolves project produce much better results next season.
Mar. 1, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love (right) and guard Ricky Rubio against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 104-95. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In one of the offseason’s many interesting tactical decisions the now David Kahn-less front office chose to let Andrei Kirilenko walk in favor of addressing on of the teams fatal flaws from last season; three point shooting. Though a healthy Kevin Love, a requirement of any team success next season, may have improved the Wolves’ league worst three point performance (a healthy Chase Budinger would also greatly aid this endeavor), the team signed Kevin Martin from the Oklahoma City Thunder to space the floor.
In a dramatic shift from last season, the projected Rubio-Martin-Budinger-Love-Nikola Pekovic starting lineup should space the floor effectively. However, the added spacing may come at the expense of any chance at a high-level defense. Ricky Rubio is a very good defender and Budinger’s defense was once undervalued, though its perception has recently shifted.
Love’s defensive issues are often overblown by his critics; after struggling in his early seasons, Love has developed into an average on ball defender and respectable help defender. Though he lacks the athleticism to be a rim protecting force, his defensive positioning has improved to the point that he can effectively cut off driving lanes. Love’s 2012-13 defensive Reguralized Adjusted Plus Minus per 100 defensive possessions of +2.1 was well above the league average of around -0.9. Nikola Pekovic is an effective defender, but also lacks the athleticism and mobility to be truly elite.
The lack of elite defensive talent and presence of a few defensive sieves, both starting and off the bench, will likely prevent the Wolves from attaining a high enough level of offense to be significant threats to the high-level playoff teams. However, their potentially elite offense and rebounding ability gives them a reasonable shot at a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference.