Timberwolves' struggles warrant genuine concern, but it's still very early

What should we make of the Wolves' recent three-game skid and season-long outlook?

Nov 13, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards (5) looses control of the ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) during the second half at Moda Center. / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

If one loss to the lowly Portland Trail Blazers could be discarded as a one-off dud for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a second in as many nights brings a level of real concern that is difficult to ignore.

The Wolves fell flat on their face at the Moda Center again on Wednesday night, going 7-of-39 from three-point range (18 percent) in a 106-98 loss to a Blazers team that was without Anfernee Simons, DeAndre Ayton, and Robert Williams III. Minnesota led by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter, but let Portland back into the game and then offered little resistance as Shaedon Sharpe and company pulled away in the fourth.

It's now a three-game losing streak for the Wolves, dating back to Sunday's collapse against the Miami Heat in Minneapolis, that has dropped them to 6-6 and incited some legitimate early-season panic among a fan base that watched a different version of this team win 56 games and reach the Western Conference Finals last season.

It's only 12 games in an 82-game campaign, but this has objectively been a rough stretch of basketball for a team with as much talent as the Timberwolves possess. Even amid the inconsistency that was expected after the massive trade that took place just before the start of training camp, losing back-to-back games to a shorthanded Blazers team is both inexcusable and genuinely worrying.

This latest defeat wasn't as much about turnovers, which had been a massive issue in the two previous losses (the Wolves had 14 of them on Wednesday, three below their season average of 17). This one was more about a total off night from long range, which is always a possibility when you commit to shooting as many threes as the Wolves have this season. More concerningly, the Wolves were beaten on the glass, bullied by rookie center Donovan Clingan (17 points, 12 rebounds, 8 blocks), and for the second night in a row, didn't show the kind of defensive intensity that was a hallmark of last year's team.

At the moment, this is a mediocre team with lots of problems. But it's also very early, so while the Wolves recognize that they need to play a lot better, they also aren't sounding any alarms just yet.

"It's a rough patch," head coach Chris Finch said. "It's early on. I'm sure we're gonna shoot the ball better. I thought our attention to detail on game-plan stuff was way better tonight. We're struggling right now, there's no doubt about it, but we're gonna keep working through it, guys are gonna come back to form, and that's just how it is."

It's hard to put too much blame on Anthony Edwards, who has been excellent from deep this season, for having his first true off night as a three-point shooter (0 for 9). Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — who started at point guard in place of a resting Mike Conley — were fairly solid. But Rudy Gobert wasn't overly impactful in this game, and Wolves continue to need more offense from Donte DiVincenzo (2 points) and Jaden McDaniels (7 points). DiVincenzo was 0-for-6 from deep and 1-for-10 from the floor, and he's shooting an uncharacteristically low 30.6 percent from three to start his Wolves career.

This loss happening on a night where Karl-Anthony Towns scored 46 points for the Knicks only adds to the angst of the Minnesota fan base. Towns is off to a great start in New York, averaging 26.5 points and 12.2 rebounds on excellent efficiency, and the Wolves clearly miss him. But the Knicks also lost to the Bulls on Wednesday despite KAT's explosion, falling to 5-6. Both teams are still searching for a rhythm following a huge trade that can't be properly judged until much later this season.

DiVincenzo's shooting figures to improve soon. Conley's shooting also should improve when he's back in the lineup. Above all else, the Wolves need to rediscover their competitive edge on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor on a night-to-night basis.

"Losing games like these is hard, because everybody feel like we're supposed to win," Edwards said. "But that team over there is f***ing good and they play hard. We'll see what it takes, man. Everybody wanna beat us. So we gotta come out with a chip on our shoulder. We gotta get the chip back. Whenever we get the chip back, we'll be back where we need to be."

Ultimately, for as rough as this three-game stretch has felt, the Timberwolves are still 13th in offensive rating, 9th in defensive rating, and 11th in net rating this season. They're a talented team that needs to address several major issues and use these two losses in Portland as a wake-up call moving forward, starting on Friday night in Sacramento.