5 Ways Minnesota Timberwolves have evolved into the best team in the West

How the Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as the best team in the Western Conference.

Philadelphia 76ers v Minnesota Timberwolves
Philadelphia 76ers v Minnesota Timberwolves | David Berding/GettyImages
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Crashing the Boards

To punctuate excellent defensive possessions, the Wolves have cleaned up the glass with gusto in their first 18 games. While Minnesota was among the worst rebounding teams at the end of the 2022-2023 season, they're currently 9th in the NBA with 45.2 boards per game. Even better, their average of 35.8 defensive rebounds is tied for second-best in the league.

Once again, it's their defensive ace Gobert who leads the way in this category with 11.6 a night. This average, by the way, is 4th best in the NBA — and it certainly doesn't hurt that his fellow starter Karl-Anthony Towns (9.1 RPG) is in the top 20 of that category as well.

The Wolves, though, could use some work on the offensive glass. If they can do better than their 9.4 offensive boards per game (which, as you could tell, is near the bottom of the barrel), scoring threats like KAT and the fiery Anthony Edwards will get even more opportunities to inflict damage.