Robert Covington is in Karl-Anthony Towns’ ear and Minnesota’s defense is better

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Minnesota is 5-2 since they traded away Jimmy Butler, and the main reason is the defense is better. Over those seven games, the Timberwolves are allowing 100.9 points per 100 possessions, the third-best defense in the NBA over that stretch. It’s not just one thing, as Dane Moore breaks down well at Zone Coverage (with a lot of video evidence), but the key thing is Robert Covington — who came West in the trade along with Dario Saric — has been playing lockdown defense, flying all over that end of the court, and is in Karl-Anthony Towns‘ ear about defense.