The Minnesota Timberwolves just pulled off their best win of the young season on Wednesday night. Without their leader and best player, Anthony Edwards, for the foreseeable future, they closed out the West-leading Houston Rockets on the road in a game with 26 lead changes.
Minnesota is now 6-3 and somehow still only seventh in the Western Conference standings. They’re also 3-2 without Anthony Edwards. While the offense is humming like we all thought it would, many thought the defense would fall off to accommodate the new faces brought in in the offseason. But the defense still rips.
Rudy Gobert is 34 years old. LaMelo Ball isn't a serious player. Jonathan Kuminga is too small to replace Naz Reid and Julius Randle. Joan Beringer is only 19 and can’t be your full-time backup center. The Timberwolves chose offense over defense for the first time in the Chris Finch era. Still, they’re thriving on both ends of the floor two weeks in.
The Wolves have the sixth most efficient offense in the association. That’s as expected with LaMelo Ball running the point. But the defense has been even better to start the season. Nine games in, the Timberwolves have the third stingiest defense in the NBA, trailing only the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.
Their defensive rating of 105.2 points per 100 possessions is better than last season’s top defense, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s mark of 106.5. It’s an impressive defensive start for a team that’s faced the San Antonio Spurs, the third-best offense in the NBA; the Cleveland Cavaliers, the league’s sixth-best offense; and the Rockets, the eighth-best mark.
It would be the best defensive rating in Minnesota during the Chris Finch era and the highest-ranked defense since they were No. 1 in 2023-24, when they won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals.
The Timberwolves are attacking opponents from all angles. Rudy Gobert is shooting 42.6 percent from the field, but he’s still a high-end rim protector on defense even at age 34. The real difference on the interior defense is that the Wolves have a secondary rim protector in Joan Beringer.
Before they traded him, Naz Reid was Minnesota's de facto backup center, and Julius Randle was his running mate in the frontcourt. Neither is a traffic cone, but Naz and Randle aren’t exactly defensive aces. Beringer is up to 18 minutes per game in his second season, and when he’s on the court, he tries to block everything in sight.
He’s in the 80th percentile in block percentage and 14th in the NBA among qualified bigs. He’s behind names like Victor Wembanyama, Donovan Clingan, and Walker Kessler. He doesn’t affect the game on defense every play. He’s still a teenager and figuring out how his 6’11”, 230-pound French body moves. But Beringer has been a welcome addition as the heir apparent to Rudy Gobert in the paint.
Before his injury, Anthony Edwards was playing some of the most inspired defense of his career. In his absence, Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu, Jonathan Kuminga, Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr., and even LaMelo Ball have more than filled the void.
McDaniels is up to his normal antics. He’s terrorizing opposing ball handlers across the league. McDaniels has been so good to start the season that the great Kevin Durant is singing his praises after McDaniels and the Wolves had 12 steals, eight blocks, and forced 22 Rockets turnovers.
Jaylen Clark is Minnesota’s secret defensive weapon off the bench. He comes in to lock down a hot scorer, bully weak ball-handlers, and cause chaos in limited minutes.
Kuminga has fit in nicely as an undersized power forward. He’s averaging 2.2 stocks per game, can switch 1-4 on the perimeter, and is big and athletic enough to hold his own in the post against everyone except a straight-line drive from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Ayo flies around both ends of the court, living the jet life. He's big enough to hold up against thicker, taller wings and fast enough to clamp down smaller, quicker guards.
Still, LaMelo Ball has been the real revelation. Ball has a reputation as a poor defender. A classic scoring, playmaking point guard who saves his energy to run the offense all out and floats in and out on defense.
However, he's locking in this year. LaMelo is averaging a career-high 1.9 steals per game and deflecting three passes per game. He flies over screens and uses his 6’7” frame to disrupt passing lanes and keep his man honest. LaMelo has bought into Chris Finch’s scheme. If only he could stay out of foul trouble.
The Timberwolves have been a defense-minded team over five straight postseason appearances. They’re still a defense-minded team nine games into the 2026-27 season, but the offense has also improved. The Wolves could finish the season with a top-five offense and defense. And when Edwards returns, they could finish with the NBA's best defense for the second time in four seasons.
The Minnesota Timberwolves just pulled off their best win of the young season on Wednesday night. Without their leader and best player, Anthony Edwards, for the foreseeable future, they closed out the West-leading Houston Rockets on the road in a game with 26 lead changes. Minnesota is now 6-3 and somehow still only seventh in the Western Conference standings. They’re also 3-2 without Anthony Edwards. While the offense is humming like we all thought it would, many thought the defense would fall off to accommodate the new faces brought in in the offseason. But the defense still rips. Rudy Gobert is 34 years old. LaMelo Ball isn't a serious player. Jonathan Kuminga is too small to replace Naz Reid and Julius Randle. Joan Beringer is only 19 and can’t be your full-time backup center. The Timberwolves chose offense over defense for the first time in the Chris Finch era. Still, they’re thriving on both ends of the floor two weeks in. The Wolves have the sixth most efficient offense in the association. That’s as expected with LaMelo Ball running the point. But the defense has been even better to start the season. Nine games in, the Timberwolves have the third stingiest defense in the NBA, trailing only the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers. Their defensive rating of 105.2 points per 100 possessions is better than last season’s top defense, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s mark of 106.5. It’s an impressive defensive start for a team that’s faced the San Antonio Spurs, the third-best offense in the NBA; the Cleveland Cavaliers, the league’s sixth-best offense; and the Rockets, the eighth-best mark. It would be the best defensive rating in Minnesota during the Chris Finch era and the highest-ranked defense since they were No. 1 in 2023-24, when they won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves are attacking opponents from all angles. Rudy Gobert is shooting 42.6 percent from the field, but he’s still a high-end rim protector on defense even at age 34. The real difference on the interior defense is that the Wolves have a secondary rim protector in Joan Beringer. Before they traded him, Naz Reid was Minnesota's de facto backup center, and Julius Randle was his running mate in the frontcourt. Neither is a traffic cone, but Naz and Randle aren’t exactly defensive aces. Beringer is up to 18 minutes per game in his second season, and when he’s on the court, he tries to block everything in sight. He’s in the 80th percentile in block percentage and 14th in the NBA among qualified bigs. He’s behind names like Victor Wembanyama, Donovan Clingan, and Walker Kessler. He doesn’t affect the game on defense every play. He’s still a teenager and figuring out how his 6’11”, 230-pound French body moves. But Beringer has been a welcome addition as the heir apparent to Rudy Gobert in the paint. Before his injury, Anthony Edwards was playing some of the most inspired defense of his career. In his absence, Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu, Jonathan Kuminga, Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr., and even LaMelo Ball have more than filled the void. McDaniels is up to his normal antics. He’s terrorizing opposing ball handlers across the league. McDaniels has been so good to start the season that the great Kevin Durant is singing his praises after McDaniels and the Wolves had 12 steals, eight blocks, and forced 22 Rockets turnovers. Jaylen Clark is Minnesota’s secret defensive weapon off the bench. He comes in to lock down a hot scorer, bully weak ball-handlers, and cause chaos in limited minutes. Kuminga has fit in nicely as an undersized power forward. He’s averaging 2.2 stocks per game, can switch 1-4 on the perimeter, and is big and athletic enough to hold his own in the post against everyone except a straight-line drive from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ayo flies around both ends of the court, living the jet life. He's big enough to hold up against thicker, taller wings and fast enough to clamp down smaller, quicker guards. Still, LaMelo Ball has been the real revelation. Ball has a reputation as a poor defender. A classic scoring, playmaking point guard who saves his energy to run the offense all out and floats in and out on defense. However, he's locking in this year. LaMelo is averaging a career-high 1.9 steals per game and deflecting three passes per game. He flies over screens and uses his 6’7” frame to disrupt passing lanes and keep his man honest. LaMelo has bought into Chris Finch’s scheme. If only he could stay out of foul trouble. The Timberwolves have been a defense-minded team over five straight postseason appearances. They’re still a defense-minded team nine games into the 2026-27 season, but the offense has also improved. The Wolves could finish the season with a top-five offense and defense. And when Edwards returns, they could finish with the NBA's best defense for the second time in four seasons.