The Timberwolves' quest for more easy baskets

Better transition offense could provide all the boost Minnesota needs.

With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline fast approaching, there’s been no shortage of reports and speculation of who the Timberwolves might be targeting as they look to make a deep playoff run.

All of the names floated that the Timberwolves may have interest in are players who would provide offensive help, and rightfully so. While — as of Tuesday afternoon — Minnesota touts the top-ranked defense in the NBA, and by a wide margin, its offense is currently 19th in the 30-team league.

According to reports, the Timberwolves have been primarily interested in another ball-handler or shooter that could provide a jolt to their second unit. Minnesota is currently getting 31.5 points per game off the bench, which ranks 23rd in the league.

“We need more consistent scoring off our bench, for sure,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Naz [Reid] has been great, but he’s not scored as well in recent weeks as he had done before that. I’m sure he’ll get back there. … I’d like to see that unit play a little faster. Our first unit is generally slower anyway.”

Finch has voiced the importance of getting more easy buckets. Converting at a higher clip in transition is one way to accomplish that goal, and it’s been a point of emphasis in recent weeks. The Timberwolves rank 28th in the league with 12.2 fast-break points per game, a number that Finch and Minnesota would like to see increase.

Obviously, the Timberwolves are not the fastest team in the league with the twin towers in the starting lineup. They’re just not built for speed.

However, they also have tendencies that have prevented scoring some of those easy baskets, whether it’s turning the ball over, playing into a crowd or just missing shots. There’s certainly been missed opportunities in transition, ones they need to convert.

“We’re not asking the impossible, but we definitely need to get 5-6 more easy baskets a game, no matter how they come,” Finch said.

Those easy baskets would help the Timberwolves crack the top 15, or even top 10, of NBA offenses. That’s the build of a team that can make a long postseason run.

Of the last five NBA Finals winners, only one team didn’t have both a top-15 offense and top-15 defense in the regular season (the Golden State Warriors had the No. 16 offense and No. 2 defense in 2022).

The Timberwolves are right there, they just need a little more production on offense. Better conversion in transition could be all the boost their offense needs.

“I don’t think we’re gonna physically get any faster, we’re kind of a slower-footed team at times, but we certainly need to convert more in transition, I think it has to start there,” Finch said. “The opportunities we are creating and getting out and running, we haven’t finished, we’ve turned it over, we’ve missed some wide-open 3s, so I think we just got to put the ball in the hoop a little bit better, take care of it a little bit better, if we can just do that, I think there’ll be enough of a bump.”

History shows just that little bit of offensive improvement can thrust the Wolves into championship contention. And there’s plenty of time left in the season to see it improve. Now it’s just about finding a few more easy baskets. 

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) goes to the basket past Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 2, 2024 :: Bruce Kluckhohn / USA TODAY Sports