The most obvious small sample size gains so far from the Wolves’ trade of Jimmy Butler to the 76ers, which brought Robert Covington and Dario Saric back primarily in return, has come on defense.
Kent Youngblood will have a larger look at this Wednesday in print and online, complete with insights from Wolves practice Tuesday, but suffice to say that the defense has looked much better since the deal. Minnesota is 2-1 with Covington and Saric playing regular minutes. They’ve allowed 100, 96 and 100 points in those three games after allowing fewer than 110 points just one other time in their first 14 games.