In the regular season, the Timberwolves had the No. 1 defense in the league. So far in the playoffs, it’s the other side of the ball that is outpacing their opponents.
So far this postseason, the Wolves have the most efficient offense in the league at 123.2 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com.
During the regular season, the Wolves ranked 17th in offensive rating at 114.6.
What is behind this offensive outburst?
The Wolves are actually shooting worse than they were during the regular season — their effective field-goal percentage is down to .548 from .559.
Instead, the Wolves have shown significant improvement on the offensive glass. They are the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the playoffs at .392, outpacing the Knicks at .304. That means the Wolves got nearly 40% of all available offensive rebounds in the first round against Phoenix. That’s up from their regular season mark of 27.5%.
One reason for that improvement is the increased production from forward Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels averaged 0.8 offensive rebounds during the regular season. That was up to three per game against Phoenix as the Wolves placed an emphasis for McDaniels to crash the offensive glass. They even ran him through football style drills before the series, coach Chris Finch said after McDaniels scored 25 points in a 105-93 victory in Game 2.
“We got to win, just doing anything to win,” McDaniels said. “[Finch] be on me the whole regular season about offensive rebounds.”