With the franchise advancing out of round one for the first time in 20 years, how did Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and the rest of the roster grade out?
For the first time in 20 years and just the second time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves have advanced out of the first round of the playoffs.
Contrary to some famous words of a player currently making plans for a trip to Cancun, these Timberwolves play team basketball. Not only did the Timberwolves’ big three show up, their role players joined the party of a decisive series sweep over the favored Phoenix Suns, the first sweep in franchise history.
Last season when I gave playoff grades, the season was over. The 2023 loss against the Denver Nuggets in the first round had a sense of inevitability with last year’s rollercoaster season and key injuries. From Game 1, the Nuggets were locked in with a championship mettle; they had the hungry look of champions in their eyes and played each possession with desperation. Now I see the same ferocious glint in the eyes of this pack of Timberwolves.
From the Wolves’ coaching staff to the players, the opening round series showcased the effort of a championship team. But playing that way in the first round is just a theory of championship. This coming matchup is so enticing for Timberwolves fans and this team because we can put the theory to the test. Buckle up.
Before moving forward to quickly, a moment to celebrate the play of this team in round one. Let’s get to the grades!
- These grades are roles-based, so the stats I’m looking at for each player are different.
- Roles on the team can change as the roster and playing time changes—I will alter or add statistical categories throughout the playoffs based on matchup.
- Small sample size alert! Every playoff series is between 4-7 games so there is going to be more volatility with stats and grades.
Mike Conley Phoenix Series Grade: 79% (C+)
Mike Conley’s impact on this series goes far beyond his more middling numbers. Before the playoffs started, he set the tone in a team meeting by offering perspective that only a seventeen year veteran could:
Mike Conley has spoken to the Wolves about his urgency as the playoffs begin. “I don’t think anybody wants it more than me.” pic.twitter.com/FJdGn5YPrA
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 18, 2024
Through one series, the team has responded by playing an urgent form of basketball that values each and every possession. As for Conley himself, his numbers have been okay, but it’s his organization of the team and timely playmaking (be it shots, big rebounds, or defensive rotations) that have been most impressive.
Conley will undoubtedly win the Timberwolves a playoff game this series with a clutch fourth quarter triple or free throw making down the stretch. His whole career has been building to this moment, and there is no doubt that this 36-year-old veteran point guard is going to leave it all on the court.
Anthony Edwards Phoenix Series Grade: 96% (A)
Timberwolves fans, do not take this moment for granted. The evolution that we are seeing from Anthony Edwards as a Rookie of the Year snub, to All-Star, to All-NBA, and now giving us glimpses of something more is a basketball vicennial; if we are lucky, we’ll get to experience this two-to-three times in our basketball-viewing lifetime.
It’s not just the undeniable skill that makes the Ant experience vicennial – there have been a lot of incredibly talented players to pass through the Timberwolves organization, including some currently on this team. It is the way Edwards offers effervescent praise to his teammates, an unyielding competitive appetite, and a genuine desire to be part of a team (being coached, mentored and leading) that makes this moment different from anything we’ve ever watched in the franchise’s history.
Versus Phoenix, Edwards took on his childhood hero and made a statement that caught the whole league’s attention; he is here to stay. He scored with elite efficiency, defended at a high level, and when the team needed him most, he closed out the series with his game four clutch heroics.
Getting to watch the next step of a generational star’s development is a basketball gift and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
Jaden McDaniels Phoenix Series Grade: 91% (A-)
Jaden McDaniels is a pot full of boiling water. When his temperature is calibrated perfectly, the water bubbles at the top without spilling over, and he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. This whole series was a defensive masterclass from McDaniels. He channeled his defensive prowess and dislike of an opposing player into pure frustration for the Suns; it left Devin Booker pleading with referees after nearly every dead ball from game one through the rest of the series.
Beyond the defense, McDaniels scored a career-high in the playoffs with 25 points and was dominant on the offensive glass(?!) throughout the series, averaging three a game.
He only gets dinged on the grade for his outside shooting. For all the talk of the team’s aspirations in this article, McDaniels is going to need to be ready for more open looks against the Nuggets. Denver was relatively content to leave a player like Rui Hachimura open if it meant containing LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If the Wolves are going to win that series, my guess is that his 3-point shooting percentage needs to be in the 40% range.
Last season, Jamal Murray didn’t have to deal with a boiling McDaniels in the playoffs. Game on.
Karl-Anthony Towns Phoenix Series Grade: 94% (A)
If I would have told you before the series started, that Karl-Anthony Towns would shoot over 50% from downtown, would curb his turnover issues, and would play defense that would hold Kevin Durant under his season average in shooting, you may have said “Well, if that’s the case, the Wolves might sweep Phoenix!” And guess what? That’s exactly what happened!
KAT outside of some ill-advised fouls played within his role nearly perfectly throughout the series. He was asked to be an effective innings-eater against Durant and he was. Sure, KD hit some singles and drew some fouls, but he was also contained in a way that he could never hit that game-changing home run.
On offense, he moved the ball effectively without turning it over; the turnover struggle was the main reason his regular season grade finished where it did. While his scoring was a far cry from a 61-point performance – he chose winning and team-oriented basketball. This included being willing to cede minutes to Nickeil Alexander-Walker for the betterment of the team to close Games 1-3. And when this happened, KAT was always the first person off the bench congratulating his teammates.
I’ve struggled with nailing Towns’ exact role through the whole season, but one of his traits is rising tall above the rest: He is going to do whatever he can to help the team win including sacrificing his numbers. Max players don’t usually show that trait until the end of their careers when their athleticism is waning. KAT is doing this in the prime of his career and is helping morph this Timberwolves team into a contender.
Rudy Gobert Phoenix Series Grade: 95% (A)
Breaking news: The regular season roles-based MVP Rudy Gobert is a consistently great player. It’s becoming a constant refrain in all of my grading articles – DPOY level defense, offensive rebounds, and size/physicality that forces teams into fouling. There is however something out-of-the-ordinary that needs to be shouted out: His free throw shooting.
For the series, Gobert shot 88% (22/25!). Just as a reference point, the NBA’s all-time leader in free throw percentage is Steph Curry at 90.89%. Of course there is some statistical variance to that kind of out-of-body performance, but it may also speak to a professional being as locked-in as ever. Made free throws can tilt playoff series.
He’s breaking every ridiculous narrative about his playoff viability versus small-ball offense. He’s defending effectively on the perimeter while being a generational force on the inside. Simply put, he’s doing it all like he has been all season long.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Phoenix Series Grade: 92% (A-)
NAW’s play during his first stint in Game 1 was a turning point in the series. When he checked into the game, the Timberwolves were down three points in the first quarter, and there was still a little bit of a foreboding sense of “Can the Wolves hang with this Phoenix team?” Well, by the time the first half finished, the team was +13 with him on the floor and had built up a 10-point lead. His fearlessness and commitment to his role helped organize everyone, including the fans in the building; it was the first sense of “I think we can do this.”
Like McDaniels, NAW’s outside shooting waxed and waned throughout the four games, highlighted by his four made triples in the third quarter of Game 3, but his defensive impact just cannot be overstated; the three-headed perimeter attack of Edwards, McDaniels and NAW kept Phoenix’s big three at bay throughout the whole series. And now, with McDaniels, NAW is going to get a full series of containing Jamal Murray.
There is no doubt that he will be ready.
Naz Reid Phoenix Series Grade: 73% (C)
The assessment for Naz Reid this series can be a pretty quick one: This was not a Naz matchup. He had some moments of offense as evident by the points per 36, but overall it was a slightly underwhelming performance for the Sixth Man of the Year award winner.
The good news here? The Timberwolves swept a team without a “Naz Reid” game. Ups and downs are a common occurrence for sixth man microwave scorers – if the Timberwolves are going to get a Naz Reid series vs Denver… look out. After watching him all season, the smart money is on him showing up and showing out.
Kyle Anderson Phoenix Series Grade: 65% (D)
Kyle Anderson left Game 1 early with a hip pointer and didn’t see the floor in Game 2. So his stats are an even smaller sample size compared to the rest.
Denver could be a better matchup for Slow-Mo – in previous games with injuries to our bigs, he’s actually had to guard Nikola Jokić for decent stretches of games. He’ll be another body to throw at the Serbian big man, and while there are no correct answers on the test of stopping him, Anderson is a variable that could help slow him.
Monte Morris Phoenix Series Grade: INC
If I was going to give a grade here to Monte Morris, it would have been in the “B” range, but the non-garbage time minutes were just a little too minimal to offer something fair. Projecting forward, Morris is as familiar with this Denver team as anyone on the roster – there may yet be a big playoff moment coming for our current ninth man.
That’s it for now – I’ll be back in a couple weeks after the Denver series and any other series that follow. Enjoy this moment Wolves fans; we’ve waited decades for it.
As always, if you are looking for some more Timberwolves content during the playoffs, check out the Dunks After Dusk podcast on both Apple and Spotify.
On Tuesday, my co-host and I handed out awards for the Phoenix series and told a heart warming story that ties back to a summer episode about helping your significant other to become a Timberwolves fan. On Thursday, we’ll do more of an X’s and O’s preview of the Denver Nuggets series and then back to our regularly scheduled program of awards following each game. If you haven’t already, come join us for the ride!