Dunking with Wolves

Despite having one of the younger franchise players in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves in the previous couple of years have been one of the older and rather sluggish teams in the NBA. Their young core outside of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid was rather unproven. Now they not only have a revamped roster, but also a roster that is one of the youngest in the NBA. Only two of the players on their roster are over 30 years old.

Currently, Jaylen Clark finds himself on the bubble of the Minnesota Timberwolves' rotation. He is already a high-level defender, especially at the point of attack. Plus, Clark's low-usage playstyle on offense could make him an ideal complement alongside the Wolves' established talent. Still, the question remains: Can he knock down open 3-pointers? This rather simple question will be the number one factor that will determine Clark's minutes.

Anthony Edwards is the Minnesota Timberwolves' best player. That's not up for debate, and that should require no further explanation. Likewise, LaMelo Ball is Edwards' co-star and second option. His importance to the team is immense. The Timberwolves' most important player, and the guy they'd have the most trouble replacing in case of injury, though? That distinction belongs to Rudy Gobert.

Since the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball, it's been clear that he's the perfect co-star for Anthony Edwards. But when you peel back all of the layers, everything about Ball's game makes him an ideal complement to Edwards. Why LaMelo Ball is a perfect fit alongside Anthony Edwards Of course, the main thing is that Ball is an elite playmaker, which is Edwards' biggest flaw and has been an element that the Wolves' offense has lacked in recent years.

Jimmy Butler might be the most hated figure in Minnesota Timberwolves history, and that's not an exaggeration at all. He only played just over one season in Minnesota, and yes, he was the best player on the team that helped break a more than decade-long playoff drought. So why is he so universally hated among the fanbase? Simply put, he quit on the team and made sure to burn down the building as he left in 2018.

There wasn’t much fanfare when the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Trey Lyles. He wasn’t on many fans’ radars because he spent last season playing overseas. Still, there was a time when Lyles was the only legitimate power forward on the roster. That changed when the Timberwolves signed Jonathan Kuminga to join their starting lineup late in the offseason. Speaking at media day on Monday, Lyles was asked what he thinks his role will be this season.

Jaden McDaniels is arguably the league's best perimeter defender. He has a rare blend of elite size, length, and quickness that lets him take star guards out of games—ask Jamal Murray. Anyone who has watched the Minnesota Timberwolves closely, though, could tell you that McDaniels is also a fantastic off-ball defender and secondary rim protector. Based on some of the early tea leaves, it sounds like the Wolves are going to utilize this part of McDaniels' game.

I've been dubious that the Minnesota Timberwolves can empower Terrence Shannon Jr. on the ball despite their open desire to do so. Don't get me wrong, Shannon is a skilled scorer. Yet, on a team with so many creators, my question is: How do you justify empowering him? He showed flashes of on-ball brilliance in the playoffs, but he still isn't an elite enough creator to earn more on-ball usage than last season.

When you think of well-run organizations, your mind probably doesn't go to the early 2020s Charlotte Hornets. That's for good reason. Outside of their last couple of years, they consistently failed to put talent around LaMelo Ball. No shade, but did people really expect him to win a lot of games with over-the-hill Cody Zeller and Mason Plumlee as his two primary bigs? Sure, he later had Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner, more recently, but that's far from an elite center rotation.

One trend in Anthony Edwards' game is that he has continuously gotten better each season he's been in the league. He started as an uber-athletic shooting guard, but his game was pretty unpolished. Now, he might be the most complete scorer in the NBA currently. The Minnesota Timberwolves' superstar had a case for the All-NBA First Team last season, but he missed too many games toward the end, which made him ineligible.