When the calendar flipped from 2022 to 2023 the Minnesota Timberwolves were five games under .500. Just over five weeks into 2023 and the Timberwolves are 29-28 entering play Wednesday, sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference but only three games behind the third place Sacramento Kings.
The West is competitive and crowded and the Wolves are where they are – even after an embarrassing loss Tuesday night in Denver – thanks to owning one of the best records in the NBA since New Year’s Day.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing with some notable losses but the Wolves have also secured some big wins, including a pair over the Nuggets and a comeback overtime win over the Warriors. Let’s dive into the numbers to see what’s been happening with the Wolves since Jan. 1, 2023.
1. Fifth-best winning percentage (.650)
Minnesota is 13-7 record since the turn of the year. That .650 winning percentage is good for fifth in the league, trailing only the 76ers (.765), Nuggets (.750), Bucks (.737), and Celtics (.667).
Eight of the Wolves’ 13 wins have come against teams with better records. It hasn’t all been good though…
2. Three losses after blowing fourth-quarter leads
The Wolves have seen three fourth quarter leads turn into losses since the beginning of January.
- Jan. 16 vs. Utah: Entered the fourth with a 95-87 lead and lost 120-118.
- Jan. 18 @ Denver: Entered the fourth with a 95-88 lead and lost 118-115.
- Jan. 30 vs. Sacramento: Entered the fourth with a 81-78 lead and lost 98-96.
3. Playing down to opponents
The Wolves have also had their fair share of incredibly disappointing losses where they played down to their opponents.
- Jan. 11 @ Detroit: Blown out by the worst team in the East, 135-118.
- Jan. 23 @ Houston: Didn’t hold the lead after the 8:38 mark in the third quarter in a 119-114 loss to the worst team in the NBA.
- Feb. 3 vs. Orlando: A brawl that saw five players ejected distracted from a 127-120 loss to the team with the fifth-worst record in the league.
4. Turnovers
Sorry, another negative. The Wolves are among the sloppiest teams in the league with 14.9 turnovers per game in 2023. In the first 38 days of the year there are only three other teams that have given the ball away more per game: Rockets (15.7), Warriors (15.6), Pistons (15.1).
5. Forgetting to rebound
Last season the Wolves were 15th in the NBA in total rebounds per game (44.2). This season they’ve dropped to 26th (41.3) despite trading for Rudy Gobert. Since the new year started the Wolves have grabbed the third fewest rebounds per game (39.5), only ahead of the Mavericks (38.5) and Trail Blazers (38.8).
6. Wolves backcourt takeover
The Wolves’ young superstar Anthony Edwards has officially taken the reins of the franchise. Even the national media, who generally show near contempt towards the Wolves, are starting to notice.
The Minnesota Timberwolves officially BELONGS to the Anthony “Ant Man” Edwards!!! That man has been on another level and should be making his first All-Star appearance this year! Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) January 29, 2023
Edwards leads the Wolves in scoring at 26.1 points per game. The next closest is D’Angelo Russell at 19.6 points per game since the turn of the year.
Speaking of Russell…
7. D’Angelo Russell can’t miss from deep
Russell this season has been shooting a career best 38.9% from deep. He’s taken that to another level in 2023 where he’s been hitting 45.3% from beyond the arc.
Since Jan. 1, Russell is making the fifth most 3-pointers per game (3.6,) only trailing Klay Thompson (5.1), Steph Curry (4.5), Damian Lillard (3.9) and Buddy Hield (3.7)
8. Overall Wolves shooters aren’t missing much
The Wolves continue to be one of the most accurate shooting teams in the league.
This season, Minnesota has the fifth-highest field-goal percentage at 49.1% and have stayed accurate into the new year, making shots at a 49.5% clip. That’s good enough for sixth since Jan. 1 behind the Nuggets (51.5%), Hawks (50.4%), Bulls (50.1%), Kings (50%) and Cavaliers (49.9%).
The efficiency doesn’t end there.
9. Defense one of the most efficient in the league
Tuesday night’s blowout loss will certainly have changed things but the Wolves entered Tuesday with the most efficient defense in the league over the previous ten games.
Efficiency check-in last 10 games:
Offense:
1. LAC—123.5
2. ATL
3. POR
4. UTA
5. BKN
6-10: PHI, TOR, WAS, MIL, OKCDefense:
1. MIN—107.1
2. CHI
3. PHX
4. CLE
5. BOS
6-10: MIL, MIA, CHA, GSW, DENNet:
1. CLE: +9.1
2. MIL
3 LAC
4. CHI
5. MIN
6-10: PHX, BOS, GSW, OKC, PHI— NBA University (@NBA_University) February 7, 2023
10. Protecting the bucket
This one, admittedly, will read weird after Tuesday night’s shellacking but the Wolves have been doing good work preventing opposing teams from scoring. Even after giving up 146 to the Nuggets the Timberwolves are allowing 114.6 points per game in 2023, which ranks 10th in the NBA.
The Bucks (114.16) and Grizzlies (114.05) only fare marginally better than Minnesota, while the 76ers (116.59) and Kings (116.53) are notably worse.
