NBA Season Preview 2019-20: Every team’s biggest question

Minnesota Timberwolves: Can they shore up their leaky defense?

Considering the seemingly endless procession of setbacks that plagued their season, there’s a reasonable case to be made that the 2018-19 Minnesota Timberwolves are due for a bounce-back. From Jimmy Butler’s explosive departure to Robert Covington’s season-ending injury to Tom Thibodeau’s eventual firing, the Wolves never seemed to make it more than a couple weeks without some new catastrophe. After finally returning to the postseason after a 13-year layoff just a season before, the Wolves finished 11th in the West last season, 12 games outside of the playoff picture.

The blame for the disappointing finish certainly doesn’t fall on the offense. It was actually quite good last season; their offensive rating of 110.7 ranked just outside the top 10 league-wide. The problem was that they gave it all back on the other end of the floor, and then some: Their 112.2 defensive rating ranked a miserable 24th.

Part of the solution will simply be returning a healthy Covington. Acquired from the Sixers as part of the Butler trade, Covington is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year level talent. But his debut season in Minnesota was short, as he managed just 22 games with his new team before being shut down for the season in December. Getting him back on the court alongside talented youngsters Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie should have a substantial impact on Minnesota’s perimeter defense.

The other avenue for improvement comes with franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns. At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, there’s no doubt Towns has the physical tools to excel as an NBA defender. He blocked over four shots per 40 minutes in his lone season at Kentucky, after all — a strong predictor of success at the NBA level. And yet, the potential hasn’t quite translated yet, as he’s fluctuated between mediocre and terrible as a defender in his four NBA seasons. With the ever-reliable Taj Gibson now suiting up in Madison Square Garden, responsibility for protecting the paint now lies solely in Towns’ hands.