The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves might be onto something.
Since dealing Jimmy Butler to the Sixers in a package that brought back Robert Covington & Dario Saric, the Wolves have operated more consistently + look much more cohesive on both sides of the ball.
Covington, in particular, has fit in perfectly so far - his normal defensive edge is highlighted by a 14-point scoring average (ft. a pair of 20-point games).
Minnesota’s struggled (really) defensively for the better part of two seasons but in their last five games, they’ve held opponents to an avg. of 97 points/night.
Yesterday v. San Antonio, MIN limited the Spurs to 89 pts on sub-40% shooting.
Defense + scoring has improved, while turnovers have gone down. Is it fool’s gold or a sustainable run for Coach Thibodeau’s group?
Four in a row v. Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland & San Antonio isn’t a lot to write home about but there hasn’t been much continuity in Minnesota for a while now.
Was chemistry the only issue? Only time will tell.
But for now, Minnesota is back at .500 (11-11) and in the playoff picture…if that means anything at all this time of year.