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Coming into this season, expectations were higher for the Minnesota Timberwolves than they have been in quite awhile, especially after adding key pieces to their roster and a new head coach, Tom Thibodeau, who many consider as one of the best defensive coaches in the league today.
But even with the improvements the Wolves put in place over the summer, things have not gone according to plan for them so far this season. Their record fell to 3-7 after their loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, though they rebounded with a win against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Their starting point guard, Ricky Rubio, could not contain his frustrations and voiced out his thoughts on why he thinks they have been losing a lot of games early in this campaign.
Rubio: "This is the best team I've ever been around. I get mad thinking that we're wasting time. We're not learning. it's time to change"
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 16, 2016
The defensive sets that are usually ran by a Thibodeau-coached team have yet to be seen from the Wolves and they have not improved on that side of the ball much from last year. The team is currently ranked 28th in the league in defensive efficiency after giving up a lot of easy baskets.
The 58-year-old Thibodeau agreed with Rubio's statement and talked about the commitment on defense his team needs to show him in order for them to be successful.
Thibs: We gotta straighten it out and straighten it out fast. … The commitment to improve and to learn, that has to change.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 16, 2016
Thibs: I knew there would be bumps in the road. I want to see progress. I want to see the commitment to improve."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 16, 2016
If the Timberwolves want to turn their fortunes around, they need to act immediately and start putting more effort on defending their opponents. They are not in a great spot and are in danger of digging themselves into a hole that may become too deep to get out of late in the season.
With Thibodeau's experience and the competitive roster they have, it's far from impossible for Minnesota to get back on track and make a little noise in the Western Conference.
