{"id":108722,"date":"2024-11-24T20:08:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T01:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=108722"},"modified":"2024-11-24T20:08:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T01:08:30","slug":"leonard-miller-timberwolves-back-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/24\/leonard-miller-timberwolves-back-track\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 NBA Draft Pick Could Get Timberwolves Back On Track"},"content":{"rendered":"

After being narrowly defeated by the Boston Celtics, the Minnesota Timberwolves have fallen to 8-8 in the early portion of the 2024-25 season. Had referees caught a Julius Randle<\/a> travel in time, they would be 8-9<\/a>. At this same time last season, the Timberwolves were 12-4, so it\u2019s fair to say they\u2019re behind the curve.<\/p>\n

2023 NBA Draft Pick Leonard Miller Could Get Timberwolves Back On Track<\/h2>\n

Many of Minnesota\u2019s issues thus far have been intangible<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their defense is a notch below last season\u2019s<\/a>. Nonetheless, they still entered Sunday\u2019s matchup against the Celtics ranked 10th in opponent\u2019s points per game (110.0) and 11th in defensive rating (112.3). They\u2019re still 10th in opponent\u2019s points per game (110.8), but are now down to 15th in defensive rating (112.2) though it technically improved after their loss to Boston.<\/p>\n

That is to say that while they\u2019re not as formidable as last season defensively, discussions about their vulnerabilities at that end could be overblown.<\/p>\n

Most of the criticisms have been centered around Randle, who isn\u2019t the most popular All-Star because his play style is a throwback. He isos to take midrange jumpers more than 3s; while most are zigging, he zags. At the defensive end, Randle\u2019s lack of consistent intensity has been a legitimate problem. Yet, that\u2019s also been an issue for Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>, which is why there wasn\u2019t much of a drop-off without him.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, there\u2019s a player on the Timberwolves roster who would help improve the team\u2019s connectivity and<\/em> defensive activity: 2023 No. 33 pick Leonard Miller<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scouting Leonard Miller<\/h3>\n

Since being drafted, Miller has played just 52 minutes for the Timberwolves. In that time, he\u2019s demonstrated flashes of his dynamic ability. However, he\u2019s primarily been assigned to the Timberwolves\u2019 G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.<\/p>\n