(All stats and records through Jan. 14; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 110.4, 4th Overall
Defense: 106.4, 18th Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB
28-16 | .636 | 7
Conf.: 22-6
Div.: 8-1
Home: 17-6
Road: 11-10
FRONTCOURT: A-
Center Karl-Anthony Towns is a double-double machine in the middle, with skills to play inside or out. Veteran Taj Gibson is the blue-collar defensive captain of this front line. Andrew Wiggins’ talent is beyond reproach, but his motor remains an issue.
BACKCOURT: B+
Since Dec. 1, as part of the Wolves’ push overall, Jimmy Butler leads the league in scoring (9.6) in the fourth quarter and overtime. Jeff Teague’s low-key style and fragility get criticized, but Minnesota was 22-11 with him, 6-5 without.
DEFENSE: C+
It’s not the calling card defense was for Tom Thibodeau’s teams in Chicago, but Minnesota at least has hitched up its shorts a bit at that end compared to last season. Towns’ and Wiggins’ shortcomings on D are strictly want-to deficiencies that Butler and Gibson keep reminding them to correct.
BENCH: B-
Backup point Tyus Jones did a fine job when called upon to fill Teague’s spot while the starter was hurt. Gorgui Dieng, Jamal Crawford and Nemanja Bjelica fill their niches nicely. So by the time Wolves fans sweat Shabazz Muhammad’s lack of progress, they’re focused on the 10th man.
COACHING: A-
Thibodeau gets bashed for his gruff demeanor and a perceived overreliance on his starters. But he gets legit regular-season results, has an offense that eases some need for D and still has buy-in from vets such as Butler and Gibson.
OVERALL GRADE: A-
Despite having only seven players back from last season, Minnesota has hurried along its learning curve to flip last season’s 16-28 record at the same point. With so many teams easing through the 82-game schedule these days, it’s refreshing to see someone pushing hard for as many victories, and as high a playoff seed, as possible.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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