Jesus wtf happened? They just became a fortress over an off season. Is it just because Rudy became his old self?
this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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They were pretty good defensively towards the end of last year, when the whole team was healthy
Rudy's had time to settle in, McDaniels (and everyone else) is healthy again, Ant keeps taking leaps and it looks like KAT has fully bought in on both sides too
this is awesome to see tbh
That Curry and-1 on Gobery with McDaniels pressuring from behind is insane lol.
I'm glad they included that clip because when I was watching it I was like damn sick defense then Curry pulls out some magical shit. Dudes unreal.
This allowed the clippers to catch fire. All those things would never happen with this wolves team.
(in the warriors matchup) this is only possible because Draymond has 0 offensive threat, so Gobert could go where he pleased, if he was even a solid 30% shooter here that defence would be cooked
They would have played differently against different personnel. As it is, letting the Warriors go 2 on 1 against McDaniels on the perimeter was interesting. Would have thought it would lead to more open shots for Curry than it did.
Lotta teams have guys who ain’t shit on offense
It’s almost like the gameplan matched the game they were planning for…
Denver and Boston couldn’t cook
Is KAT straight up not a liability anymore? This defense is relentless.
They have like 4 elite defenders in the starting lineup and then bring in Anderson + NAW off the bench. Gobert was anchoring top defense when everyone else was a liability, but these guys are the opposite.
They were a dark horse team for me because I liked some things I saw from their lineups last year and they impressed me in the playoffs, but I wasn't expecting this. They are playing another level of defense right now.
KAT is an excellent defender playing with Rudy im pretty sure the numbers were great last year too. He never had the verticality to be a 5 in drop coverage which is why he was a bad defender before Rudy got here. He’s quick and willing to defend and picks up way less defensive fouls in this role. Kat might always be a better scorer at 5 than 4, but the difference from being a minus defender to a plus is worth it.
Happy to see the Wolves figuring things out. It's about time!
Hopefully they can maintain this the rest of the year. (Except against the Lakers of course, then I want them to forget everything they learned)
This could bring a tear to my eye
Twolves Twin Towers redemption year!! 😎
Pro Shop in Minnesota must be barren AF by now.
Classics sold out twice
All I want is a Josh Dobbs timberwolves jersey and an Anthony Edwards Vikings jersey. Is that too much to ask?
They just restocked Naz Reid classic jerseys and they all sold out so quick :(
damn, guess I'll wait until knockoffs go up on dhexpress
2004 Pistons reborn.
This time with a certified superstar in Ant Edwards though!
Not really. The Wolves have two legit offensive stars. Probably closer to the 1999 Spurs with the twin towers and #1 D, but even they didn’t have an Ant. You’re basically you’re own thing.
Like I said, they're the 2004 Pistons with Michael Jordan instead of Rip.
Or if the Pistons would have drafted Wade instead of Darko. So many what ifs with that Pistons team, bosh, melo, and wade were still all on the board. Darko has to be one of the biggest draft busts in history within the context of how good that pistons was, and how much better they could have been.
This is why I subscribe.
It's been a lot of fun this year.
I was watching the Pelicans game, thinking if a good mid-range shooter keeps getting to their spots for good high percentage shots, the defense would be in shambles unless Finchy does major adjustments.
Then I remembered it happened with Dejounte in Atlanta because, y'know, I blacked-out that game from my memory LOL
LOL same
But in that case, Wolves need to employ something other than drop imo. I don't get why they stuck to drop. I love how at 2:20, they trapped Ingram who is a great midrange shooter. They could have trapped Murray or tried to force the ball out of his hands, disrupt passing lanes with their length and or do some switching. There are other options. I'm fascinated to see what they'll do against the Suns since they are supposed to be healthy on Wednesday. KD and Booker feast in midrange
Not trying to take anything away from Wolves' defense, but if Green is going to be constantly let wide open while his defender helps out on everyone else, this will happen.
We had the same strategy with Aaron Gordon as well.
Seems like Gobert and McDaniels are the anchors of this defense. Ant is the anchor in the offensive end. Twolves should prioritize those three when they inevitably have to make some decisions regarding the cap.
McDaniels’s ability to move through screens is a work of art. That man is getting screened 3 times in a single possession and it’s still in front of his guy. It’s beautiful
The Wolves defense is great but the real takeaway here is that this Warriors team is done. The actions that worked for years are no longer possible as their cores aged and players have left.
If not the Lakers this season I’d love to the Wolves win the championship I love watching their games
That Jokic elbow gotta be painful. Dudes got the pointiest elbows I swear
Warriors aren't helping themselves playing Draymond and Looney together either, basically a free pass for Gobert to fuck everything up
As a Jazz fan I have wanted to see Rudy on a team where he didn’t have to carry the defense by himself.
Rudy and Jaden are a legit a match made in heaven. Jaden would get let down by the back line all the time in previous seasons.
This could also be a "How to set moving screens" highlight
Just nasty. Straight up nasty.
Suck it Draymond!!! Glad to see Rudy and Mike crushing it this year!
wtf is going on in minnesota? KAT not a traffic cone no more!?! things could actually get spooky.
KAT discovering that being tall is an advantage at the rim. No more swiping at the ball.
This didn't even include the crazy sequence where Draymond and Klay were doing their little tiki-taka passing as Klay runs circles around Draymond screens, and KAT and Rudy just absolutely stifled it. Two 7fters being that mobile and trading everything perfectly was beautiful.
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No respect for Draymond on the perimeter, allows for more interior crowding
Besides having Rudy, they have 3 good PoA defenders at 3 different sizes. Having a 6 ft, 6'5 and 6'9 defenders who can pressure the ball and navigate screens is wild. And KAT only has to be a cherry on top in this defense
So I’m very much uneducated when it comes to basketball strategy but are the wolves aware during these plays of who is likely to shoot from the other team? Some guys seem left open slightly- draymond a clear example- and if they were to shoot instead they might have had decent looks
Is it a planned thing or just game sense? I assume Draymond does have that reputation of pass first
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