OKC Thunder set to benefit from Jimmy Butler drama

No More Defense

With a defensive rating of 108.4, Minnesota were tied for the 22nd defensive rating in the NBA. Despite hiring a defensive-minded coach in Tom Thibodeau and the off-season acquisition of defensive ace in Butler, the Wolves struggled to contain opposing offenses. However when Butler was on-court, Minnesota’s defense improved markedly.

With a plus-8.6 net rating last season, the Wolves allowed 105.1 points per game with the All Star on-court. Additionally, Butler ranked fourth in steals (1.97), fourth in real plus-minus (6.39), 22nd in real defensive plus-minus (2.78) and added 1.8 defensive win shares.

Despite his large injury history, Butler remains one of the elite perimeter defenders in the game. Check out his defense on Golden State Warriors shooting dynamo Klay Thompson.

The Timberwolves defense was atrocious for large stretches of the season and was regularly criticized for the lack of effort on that end of the court. Despite the presence of Butler’s defensive prowess, the effort of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins was often questioned.

In a video produced by BBALLBREAKDOWN’s caoch Nick, he breaks down the NBA’s worst duo which happened to be in Minnesota.

With Butler gone, the Wolves defense is sure to plummet.