Minnesota knew its ceiling would be determined by its defense at the outset of training camp last month.

In order to be a championship team — the Wolves’ stated goal after finishing as the Western Conference runner-up in each of the last two seasons — Minnesota had to be elite at producing stops. The Wolves had to be within the top two or three teams defensively in the NBA.

It felt doable. The Wolves were the league's best during the 2023-24 season. And this time around, Minnesota featured a near-repeat roster flush with familiar faces who would allow the team to hit the ground running.

“For me, the most important thing for our group is to really build the right habits from Day 1 and decide what our pillars are going to be. When it comes to defense, really decide,” Rudy Gobert said back

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