re: Wild West Playoffs Thread 04/28 - NOP @ GSW - Game 1 - 04/28 9:30 ET on TNT #StillFlockin

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He ranked third-league wide in Real Plus-Minus, ahead of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and a host of other A-listers. With Butler on the court, the Timberwolves’ net rating was +7.8, roughly equivalent to the No. 3 ranked Raptors. Without him, the Timberwolves’ net rating plunged to -8.7, roughly equivalent to the No. 29 ranked Kings. With Butler, Minnesota managed to boast the No. 3 overall offense despite ranking 27th in bench scoring.

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Towns’ defensive rating balloons to 120.9, bringing that once impressive 9.3 net rating all the way down to -6.5. Butler alone accounts for a 15.8 point swing in Towns’ net rating

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Butler nightly takes on the toughest perimeter defensive assignment; even with him leading the team in minutes the Wolves still only manage the 26th-ranked defense by defensive rating; when he sits, their defensive rating goes from a perfectly respectable 105 points per 100 possessions to a truly stomach-churning 116, a number that is more than five points worse than the Phoenix Suns’ league-worst defense.

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Last season the T-Wolves finished 31-51. This season they are 36-26 after adding Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Jamal Crawford. Butler is obviously the best out of those 4 so losing him is big. The other 3 will definitely keep the Wolves from slipping too far, but I think it's safe to at least say they will not finish 4th in the West. The question is how far will they fall?