LaMelo Ball’s defense is going to draw the loudest questions if he lands with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and for good reason. His thin frame and spotty off-ball engagement have made that side of the floor a real concern. But there’s another part of his game that changes the conversation a bit: he rebounds like a much bigger player.
That matters a lot for Minnesota. The Timberwolves’ lack of frontcourt size and a natural power forward creates a clear problem, and rebounding is one of the biggest ones attached to it. Ball isn’t going to erase every issue that comes with that roster makeup, but he can help keep the glass from becoming a disaster while also softening some of the criticism about his defense.
At 6-foot-7, Ball has enough size to blend onto low-usage wings, and he has already shown he can be useful in the rebounding department. He has averaged 5.7 rebounds for his career, and Databallr has him in the 99th percentile for defensive rebounding percentage for his position. That kind of production has to be part of any serious projection of what he would bring defensively.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic recently pointed to that exact value while also noting that Anthony Edwards could spend time on bigger frontcourt matchups.
"The Wolves may just have to be unconventional, at least in the early going. Finch said that also meant Edwards could see time guarding some of the more physically imposing power forwards in the league, like Zion Williamson or Jaren Jackson Jr. It also means that the Wolves will likely lean on Ball, one of the better rebounding point guards in the league, to help them on the glass," Krawczynski wrote.
That doesn’t mean Ball is suddenly a defensive stopper. He has not been that over the course of his career, and there’s little reason to expect him to become a true plus on that end. Still, he’s also not a complete liability.
Rebounding is the clearest place where he can help. Ball’s constant work on the glass gives him a way to stay involved defensively and can also fuel transition chances the other way.
On top of that, he’s been a solid screen navigator, ranking in the 73rd percentile for overall screener defense per B-Ball Index. Combined with his size, that gives him a workable path to handling opposing wing shooters at a respectable level.
Minnesota’s defensive setup could also make life easier for him. Ball has never played with a rim protector like Rudy Gobert or a perimeter defender at Jaden McDaniels’ level, and the Timberwolves’ recent success has been built on defense. That kind of structure matters for a player who knows he’ll need to hold up his end.
So while the concerns about Ball’s defense are real, they may not be as severe as they first appear. His rebounding is the biggest reason why, and with Minnesota’s uncertain frontcourt, that strength could end up being especially valuable.
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Szczerbiaks profile is exactly why his name still pops in conversations about players who arrived before the league fully opened up from deep. In an era when teams are launching far more threes, his blend of accuracy and touch feels tailor-made for a modern spacing-heavy attack, which is part of what makes his place among the games best shooters such a compelling debate. The question is less about whether he could shoot and more about how much more often he would have been asked to let it fly. [Read more 🡒]