'Too much thinking' makes Timberwolves defense a little clunky

Through their first 10 games, the Timberwolves have talked a lot about how to fix their offense, which has started slow as they integrate Rudy Gobert into it.

The Wolves are also attempting some new things on the defensive end, like deploying multiple coverages depending on whether Gobert is in the game or not.

This can lead to the Wolves doing a lot of thinking when they're on the court. It's something the Wolves are trying to reduce in the name of playing faster.

"Too much thinking, I think, as a group, including myself — for sure myself," guard D'Angelo Russell said. "It's part of the process. Everybody's in positions that they've never been before."

On the offensive end, the Wolves have preached better ball movement and motion, or as Chris Finch said, have movement for the sake of moving. The Wolves felt they had improved in that area in the two games leading up to Monday's tip off against New York, but the playing on that end of the floor could take a while before it becomes natural again for everyone.

"We obviously are here to play a team game but we want to play for the names on our backs as well. I think that could frustrate guys a little bit," forward Kyle Anderson said. "It was even a little frustrating with me trying to find my rhythm the first few games, but I've been in this league a long time and I'm not going to let it get to me. I think guys are doing the same thing."

Finch said this was part of the process of adding some "unorthodox" things to what they were doing last year on both ends of the floor.

"Until you go through it and get enough reps out of it, you're going to be kind of thinking," Finch said. "But at least they're thinking."

On the defensive end, the Wolves have had to develop two types of muscle memory — what to do in a drop coverage when Gobert is on the floor, and more in their high wall coverage when he isn't and Karl-Anthony Towns is at the five spot. Forward Jaden McDaniels said that process is becoming easier for him.

"It was a little difficult but we played 10 games now, I'm kind of used to it," McDaniels said. "Used to hearing Rudy's voice behind me instead of KAT's. I've really gotten used to all the coverages."

Gobert missed his second consecutive game in the league's COVID health and safety protocols.

McDaniels has already thrown down 12 dunks this season, and is on pace to surpass the 46 he had a season ago. He had a number of flushes in Saturday's game against Houston that didn't come in the fast break and were instead the result of him going hard to the basket.

That has been an area McDaniels has tried to improve since last season.

"Just trying to get to the free-throw line," he said. "So I've been trying to dunk and it makes it seem like they're going to foul me at points."

McDaniels has drawn seven shooting fouls this season and had 40 all of last season.

Guard Jaylen Nowell has been a scoring spark for the Wolves off the bench, but his percentages are trailing what he has done for his career, especially from three-point range. Nowell is shooting 29% from deep through 10 games after shooting 39% last season.

Several current Wolves players and former players Nowell knows from growing up in Seattle, like Jamal Crawford and Brandon Roy.

"They tell me it's going to even out," Nowell said. "It's been a struggle, but with the work I put in on my shot, it's going to fall."