3 Reasons why Minnesota Timberwolves are a better team after the Butler trade

Jimmy Butler created a scene when he wanted out of Minnesota by yelling "You can’t win without me" at the team. But the things have been completely the opposite of what he thought.

After 10th of November, the day Minnesota cut ties with Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves have been a completely different team. They have a played nine games after his departure and won seven of them.

They stand 11-11 for the season and are looking strong playoff contenders. The team is working like a "team" and have defensively put themselves in a position to be called as the best defence playing team right now.

Taj Gibson about the team status right now-

“We’re paying more attention to the detail, understanding what we have to do, watching the film. You’re seeing more guys watching the film, pulling in the coaches (and asking), ‘What hand does he want to use? What hand doesn’t he want to use? What do you want me to do more?’ ”

The team is putting in more efforts and gelling along well. There are no cold-wars among the players due to which the aura around has been positive.

I am listing below the three reasons for this change of fortunes for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

#3 The revival of Karl-Anthony Towns' form

Portland Trail Blazers v Minnesota Timberwolves

When Jimmy was in Minnesota, Towns was under-performing. There was missing chemistry between the two which resulted in a poor start to the season.

But Towns has been on fire after the Butler trade. He has increased his scoring numbers considerably (+1.7 points) and has been calm on the floor. He is looking good to lead this team to the playoffs.

His game against the Bulls where he scored 35 points, 22 rebounds and six assists was a delight to watch. He joined the great Kevin Garnett who was the only person in Wolves' history to put up such numbers.

#2 Great defensive display

Timberwolves are not a joke now. They are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA right now. In the course of the last nine games, Wolves have improved their net rating by 17.1 points, and the defensive rating has gone up to 101.4, as per StatMuse.

If you look at their previous matches, they have blown out San Antonio Spurs by 39 points and beat Portland Trail Blazers by 16 points. Other games have also been easy for them. These are the results of tremendous defensive performances by the team, led by the newcomer Robert Covington.

They have forced a lot of turnovers on the opponents, and the rebounding has been excellent. The other newcomer Dario Saric has also contributed well as well, especially on the defensive end.

This team is a whole new team now with a lot of energy and the urge to win!

#1 The golden boy Robert Covington

Robert Covington was not the main guy when he was with the 76sixers. He was a good defender who could shoot the three-pointer.

But after his trade to the Wolves, he has been a blessing to them. In the last game, he scored 21 points, shooting 39% from beyond the three-point line, and was the leading scorer for the team. Also, he had nine rebounds, one block and one steal in the match.

His numbers clearly show that he is a two-way player who has a lot of potential in him. He puts pressure on the player he is defending and make him work a lot hard for the buckets.

When you trade a guy like Butler and get two-way athletes like Covington, and Dario Saric in return, I would take that deal eyes closed.

Covington has energized this team, and they are playing one of the best basketball they have ever played together.