Numbers don't lie: Defenses get better under Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau comes to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the reputation as a defensive guru. Looking at the numbers, that rep is quite warranted.
In each of Thibodeau's last four stops, that team's defensive numbers have improved from before his arrival and, for the most part, maintained defensive excellence throughout his tenure.
We looked at four key stats to compare: defensive rating (the average number of points per 100 possessions), opponent fastbreak points, opponent field-goal percentage and opponent 3-point field-goal percentage.
Also, we've included the statistics from the year before Thibodeau started coaching with that team. Note: All of these stats are via NBA.com and they go back to just the 1996-97 season, so that's our starting point.
The numbers truly are staggering on the defensive side. A Thibodeau-coached team hasn't finished outside the top 10 in opponent field-goal percentage since the 2001-02 season. In the past 19 seasons, a Thibodeau-coached team has finished outside the top 10 in defensive rating just three times.
You can see the numbers yourself below. The italicized row is the year before Thibodeau arrived. And at the end, we've included the Timberwolves stats from this past season.
New York Knicks (Assistant coach, 1997-2003)
| Year | Def Rtg (rank) | Opp FB pts (rk) | Opp FG percentage (rk) | Opp 3FG percentage (rk) |
| 1996-97 | 97.6 (1) | 8.9 (3) | 43.5 (1) | 35.0 (8) |
| 1997-98 | 97.1 (4) | 9.3 (1) | 42.8 (T2) | 31.7 (2) |
| 1998-99 | 94.3 (3) | 8.1 (1) | 40.3 (2) | 35.3 (25) |
| 1999-00 | 98.1 (7) | 10.5 (2) | 42.4 (T3) | 33.8 (T5) |
| 2000-01 | 95.5 (3) | 7.3 (1) | 41.7 (1) | 35.2 (T13) |
| 2001-02 | 103.0 (18) | 11.1 (4) | 44.5 (T13) | 35.3 (14) |
| 2002-03 | 103.7 (25) | 10.4 (5) | 48.4 (27) | 34.0 (T8) |
Houston Rockets (Assistant coach, 2003-07)
| Year | Def Rtg (rank) | Opp FB pts (rk) | Opp FG percentage (rk) | Opp 3FG percentage (rk) |
| 2002-03 | 99.9 (14) | 10.7 (6) | 43.3 (5) | 34.7 (T14) |
| 2003-04 | 96.5 (5) | 10.3 (3) | 41.2 (2) | 37.2 (28) |
| 2004-05 | 98.9 (4) | 10.1 (T2) | 42.3 (2) | 33.8 (T4) |
| 2005-06 | 100.6 (7) | 10.2 (T3) | 42.9 (2) | 36.9 (25) |
| 2006-07 | 97.5 (3) | 9.6 (2) | 42.9 (1) | 35.1 (8) |
Boston Celtics (Associate head coach, 2007-10)
| Year | Def Rtg (rank) | Opp FB pts (rk) | Opp FG percentage (rk) | Opp 3FG percentage (rk) |
| 2006-07 | 104.5 (17) | 12.4 (16) | 46.8 (24) | 35.4 (12) |
| 2007-08 | 96.2 (1) | 9.1 (1) | 41.9 (1) | 31.6 (1) |
| 2008-09 | 99.4 (3) | 10.6 (3) | 43.1 (T1) | 34.9 (5) |
| 2009-10 | 101.1 (T4) | 11.6 (4) | 45.1 (T9) | 34.2 (T4) |
Chicago Bulls (Head coach, 2010-15)
| Year | Def Rtg (rank) | Opp FB pts (rk) | Opp FG percentage (rk) | Opp 3FG percentage (rk) |
| 2009-10 | 102.6 (10) | 13.3 (11) | 44.2 (4) | 34.8 (12) |
| 2010-11 | 97.4 (1) | 13.0 (T9) | 43.0 (1) | 32.6 (1) |
| 2011-12 | 95.3 (1) | 12.1 (T7) | 42.1 (2) | 32.5 (T3) |
| 2012-13 | 100.3 (5) | 13.1 (T14) | 44.3 (T9) | 34.6 (T5) |
| 2013-14 | 97.8 (2) | 12.4 (T9) | 43.0 (2) | 35.1 (T7) |
| 2014-15 | 101.5 (11) | 13.0 (T15) | 43.5 (T3) | 33.5 (T2) |
Minnesota Timberwolves
| Year | Def Rtg (rank) | Opp FB pts (rk) | Opp FG percentage (rk) | Opp 3FG percentage (rk) |
| 2015-16 | 107.1 (27) | 13.4 (20) | 47.1 (28) | 35.5 (T14) |
In addition, a Thibodeau-coached team has had placed at least one player on NBA All-Defensive teams since 2007-08 season (eight straight years).
Perhaps we shouldn't expect any miracles next season in Thibodeau's first year at the helm, but looking at the above no doubt will a better defense in Minnesota be witnessed.
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