“Too many breakdowns,” Wolves guard Mike Conley said. “Guys are playing hard, we’re being aggressive. But that aggression has to have direction, too. We have to do things as a unit. All five guys got to be in the same mindset and connected when we do things. We’ve kind of got too many like rogue situations going on.”
McDaniels said he believes he needed to be more aggressive, before adding, “I feel like I play the same defense all the time, but it’s obviously not working.”
An increased emphasis on ball pressure at the point of attack, not just from McDaniels but from others, will be something the Wolves will attempt to improve ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
To Gobert, having better focus and intensity on defense for the Wolves is “non-negotiable.”
“It’s gotta matter. It’s gotta matter more than, how many points we score, how many shots we get,” Gobert said. “This is non-negotiable, and for myself, I have to set the tone every single minute that I’m on the floor. I set the standards for the team. So, it definitely starts with me.”
Offensively, the Wolves were able to generate good looks against Denver most of the night.
