When Tom Thibodeau was hired to be the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves in August 2016, the biggest hope for everyone involved was that Thibs would fix the horrid defense that had plagued the team in the past. In that first year, they finished 27th in defensive rating.
The following summer, they made waves by trading for Jimmy Butler. The idea was that Butler, a player with as solid of a defensive reputation as anyone in the league, would immediately help turn things around on that end in 2017-18. The Wolves once again finished 27th in defensive rating and the issues were still there.