Is the Minnesota Timberwolves defense back? Plus, revisiting the KAT-Randle trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the NBA's top defense over the last two-plus weeks. Is last year's league-best defense truly back? What are the biggest differences? Plus, Ben Beecken (@bbeecken) revisits the Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle trade at the quarter-pole of the season and previews the Wolves' matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
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[@haroldeddy]

Agreed that rebounding is something the team needs to work on. Randle has always been a premier defensive rebounder with numerous teams. He doesn't seem to be rebounding well here but I wonder if some of this is the difference between NY and MN defensive approach. Thibs is willing to give up shots at the perimeter to make sure that his bigs get the rebounds and eliminate second chance points. KAT is a beneficiary of that now. By contrast, I'm watching Randle chase Kyrie, Booker, White et al, at the perimeter and then release to be on the front end of the break. Saw that with DDV the other night. Randle never did that in NY. In fact, when Obi did that, Thibs would pull him from the game. Just a different approach but it might be that Minnesota effectively clears everyone else out and counts on Rudy to hoover up those rebounds.

[@cambury]

Rudy started the season not defending at the rim so he could get the rebounds. That's the biggest change in the teams defense and decisiveness besides the guards playing better on ball defense. This should allow more rebounds to fall Randles way but Minnesota does tons of switching and Randle has done a much better job than people give him credit for on the perimeter on ball. Off ball he can have lapses and its louder than everyone else's but it's a new system.

[@cambury]

For the Wolves to be as good as last year and the team doesn't have much offensive chemistry says alot. Donte and Jaden will be better, naturally Julius will be better as he is just coming back from injury. Of course knicks and Wolves have different systems but if you watch the knicks the biggest difference you will see is everyone on the knicks is giving the ball handler an angle to pass and ready to catch shoot or drive. Twolves offense is just standing in their spot as they don't understand off ball movement. To understand look at when Donte yelled at Rudy in the 2nd quarter, Rudy sat paint which takes away the skip pass.

[@RJLKMRD]

The problem is that Finch is not playing enough bigs.. our rebounding issues could be solved if we just had Reid, Garza and Jesse Edwards in the game more.. our 11 and 10 start in my humble opinion is 100% due to how Chris Finch has managed his rotations

[@marcusfrm6263]

Please stop with this Garza and Edwards stuff . Garza Ian gone lie he can MAYBE play. Jesse edwards is soft he CANNOT play