Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves were not just a good defense, but a historically great defense that led them to the Western Conference Finals. The Wolves ended the season with a defensive rating six points better than the league average, something only the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks accomplished over the previous eight seasons.
This season Minnesota has struggled to find the same quality of defense. There have been countless defensive issues including poor point-of-attack containment, missing or slow rotations, Rudy Gobert not playing up to his high standards, lack of a true backup center, and an overall malaise that seemed to infect every aspect of the team.