The Timberwolves’ defense has already earned a strong reputation this season, and now it’s getting praise from across the sideline.
Before Thursday night’s matchup in Minneapolis, Mavericks head coach Dusty May made it clear he sees Minnesota as one of the league’s toughest defensive groups. May, in his first season coaching at the professional level after eight seasons in Division I, pointed first to the Wolves’ ability to handle matchups on the perimeter.
“I think they do a great job of guarding one-on-one,” said May. “They’ve got the size dimension, athleticism - they’ve got a competitive spirit about them - especially this team now, like they have a joy playing the game, and competitive spirit.”
That reputation is backed up by the numbers. Minnesota enters the night with the NBA’s best defensive rating at 105.8, according to Databallr.
May also zeroed in on the player who anchors so much of what the Timberwolves do: Rudy Gobert. The veteran big man remains one of the league’s most disruptive forces near the basket, and May said Minnesota has the kind of pieces that let him do what he does best.
“Obviously, you have Rudy (Gobert), who can be disruptive at the rim, who’s had great instincts around the basket,” said May. “So they just have a lot of the prerequisites to be a really good defensive team, and they look connected as well.”
Mavericks head coach Dusty May on the Timberwolves #1 ranked defense (per defensive rating):
— Jack Azoulay-Haron (@AzoulayHaron) November 13, 2026
“I think they do a great job of guarding one-on-one, they’ve got the size dimension, athleticism, they’ve got a competitive spirit about them — especially this team.”
Full quote 👇 pic.twitter.com/q2P64ZWuoV
Gobert’s impact is showing up in the advanced numbers, too. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year leads the league in Defensive DPM at +3.9 and Defensive Shot Quality Influence at -1.2, per Databallr.
That rim protection changes the way opponents have to attack, and Trey Lyles knows it as well as anyone. The veteran forward spent two seasons with Gobert in Utah nearly a decade ago and said the center’s presence gives teammates room to breathe.
“You can funnel things to the rim because he's going to change shots and make people not want to shoot close to the rim, and he's done that for years,” said Lyles. “That's why he's one of the best defenders ever. So, I mean, it's ideal to have somebody like that back there, close to the rim, and it just helps guys out mentally to know that ‘okay, if I'm a step behind, I know Rudy's there.'”
Minnesota’s next test comes against a Mavericks attack led by Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, and Chris Finch said the Timberwolves won’t be backing off the challenge. The Wolves coach, now in his seventh season, said the key is forcing those stars to work through traffic and making the next rotation on time.
“You gotta show them multiple bodies, like you do with all great players,” said Finch. “You got to be really good closing out when the next pass is made.
And, you know, we've been pretty good at that this year, being able to cover ground - they're gonna put you in fly-around situations just because they're able to get to where they need to go with the spot - to their spot. Have help, you know, Rudy's gonna be big for us tonight, for sure, that size in the middle, and then we just gotta try to, you know, fly around beyond that.”
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What stands out most is how much cleaner the Wolves have looked when McDaniels is on the floor. His versatility has helped them stay organized on both ends, and his growing influence is making it harder to view him as just a complementary piece. For a team trying to keep its footing without its top scorer, that kind of impact is becoming impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]