The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season starts Wednesday at 9:00 pm in Portland. Still, unlike past seasons, this one is different. Despite coming off back-to-back Western Conference appearances, this is the first time the Wolves have felt the weight of expectations and pressure before the season has started.
Two seasons ago, they were the plucky underdog team that came out of nowhere to surprise casual fans as they swept Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns and upset Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in a historic Game 7.
After trading Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, most thought that the Timberwolves would take a step back as they adjusted to the change. However, they shocked everyone again as the sixth seed, knocking out both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs en route to another Conference final berth.
Now, after an offseason where they have returned seven of their top eight scorers, there are expectations for the Wolves in a Western Conference that is more star-studded than ever.
Here is one question every Timberwolves player needs to answer if they are going to be successful this season.
Anthony Edwards
Can he take it to the next level as a playmaker?
Anthony Edwards might be the best young player in the NBA, particularly given how quickly he can evolve his game. Since entering the Association, he has refined his defense to become one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. He also added an elite three-point shot to his arsenal and improved his conditioning to withstand the rigors of the playoffs.
The next step is playmaking.
Last season, Edwards was the most blitzed player in the NBA when using an on-ball screen, at a rate of 15%. Teams know that when they blitz Edwards, they have a shot to force him into forcing a turnover or a less-than-ideal look.
While Edwards showed flashes of the playmaker he can be in the Lakers series, his assist-to-turnover ratio is still less than ideal. If the Wolves want to become the offensive team that they can become, Edwards will need to maximize his playmaking ability and help his teammates find easy shots.
Julius Randle
Can he adjust the tempo you play at in different situations?
Although last season started rough, Randle became exactly who this team needed him to be in the playoffs, finally shedding the “Playoff Dropper” tag that had haunted him with the New York Knicks. While he looked better suited to the slower, more methodical pace of playoff basketball, the question around Randle is whether he can adjust to the fast pace of play when needed.
We saw last year that both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers reached the finals with their lightning-fast offenses. Can Randle adjust his style of play so that a Wolves team that was 24th in pace last season plays a little faster?
Rudy Gobert
Can he still anchor a top-5 defense?
Rudy Gobert leaves a lot to be desired offensively. Last season, his already lackluster offensive game took a slight hit. He averaged only 12 points per game in the regular season and just 7.9 points per game in the playoffs, despite his 27-point outburst in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Gobert struggles offensively, he remains one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA. With him on the court, the Wolves had a 108.6 defensive rating that fell to 116.3 with him off the court. Gobert missed time with a nagging back injury last season, and at age 33, it’s fair to assume his play will eventually decline as he exits his prime.
Gobert’s value is tied to his ability to stay on the court and maintain the defensive high standard he has set for himself.
Jaden McDaniels
Can he build off his late-season offensive production?
Everyone in the NBA knows that Jaden McDaniels is a tenacious defender. What people didn’t know until last season was just how good he can be offensively. McDaniels seemed to put it together on the offensive side of the ball late last season and into the playoffs, where he averaged almost 15 points on 38% from the three.
This preseason, we have seen McDaniels attempt and make step-back threes, looking more comfortable in an offensive capacity. If McDaniels can unlock another level to his offensive game or even maintain his efficiency from the playoffs last year, it will do the Wolves a world of good.
Mike Conley
How long can he hold up?
We all know the NBA is a young man’s league, and OKC’s run to the finals last year has made that more evident than ever. Mike Conley, 38, is one of the few holdovers still left from the late 2000s who is still active and contributing.
While we saw him pull off an incredible athletic feat in his block on LeBron James, which turned the momentum in Game 3 of the playoffs, it’s only natural to question how many minutes he can give this Wolves team, and how much longer he can remain a viable starting or rotational point guard.
Rob Dillingham
Can he take over for Conley?
There was a lot of excitement when the Wolves traded up into the lottery for Dillingham in 2024, and a lot of confusion during the season when he struggled to get regular rotational minutes. The coaching staff has opted to take the long and cautious route with Dillingham’s development, but they’ll need to rely on him this season.
While he has the approval from Ant, we need to see how his playstyle as a smaller guard will translate to the NBA in more intensive minutes. The Wolves clearly see Dillingham as the solution to the long-term point guard question, but he needs to seize the opportunities afforded to him.
Naz Reid
Can he be the leader of the bench unit?
Everyone in Minnesota was pleasantly surprised when the Wolves locked up Reid to a 5-year, $125 million contract. While he could likely be a starter on most NBA teams, he chose to stay with the Wolves and be one of the NBA’s premier sixth men.
However, with the contract comes added responsibility. After the Wolves traded Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Atlanta, the bench unit is expected to be a lot younger and less experienced. Reid understands his role has changed and that he will need to be the “quarterback” of the bench unit and an on-court leader.
Donte DiVincenzo
Can he be an effective bridge or fill-in point guard?
Last season, the Wolves occasionally asked DDV to fill in at point guard, given Conley’s age and the injury, as well as their reluctance to play Dillingham in that role. While he performed well as a point guard, there are some things where he can improve in the ball-handling regard.
The biggest question surrounding him is whether he can make quick decisions when required and avoid turning the ball over when facing a full-court press, especially when he is the primary ball handler on the court.
Joan Beringer
Can he show flashes of being a defensive anchor?
Minnesota’s first-round pick from France this season is more of a developmental player, especially on the offensive side. He only averaged 5.1 points in 18 minutes in Slovenia. While the potential is there on the offensive side, his defense is truly intriguing.
As stated earlier, Minnesota’s defense suffered a significant loss when Gobert was off the court. With his age, it makes sense for them to have a center of the future lined up. Beringer averaged 1.4 blocks per game in 18 minutes and was an imposing deterrent at the rim. While I wouldn’t expect him to fully replicate what Gobert does this season, if he can show flashes, the Wolves are in a good spot.
Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark
Can they recreate NAW in the aggregate?
The only member of the Wolves of note who isn’t returning to the team is NAW. While it might be natural to look for a like-for-like replacement, if Moneyball taught us one thing, it’s that you don’t need to replace players one-for-one and should sometimes instead look to recreate them in aggregate.
TSJ and Clark were impressive last season. Clark for his ability to be one of the better perimeter defenders off the bench and one of the few players who seemed to give SGA a hard time, and TSJ for his ability to score the ball and provide much-needed energy off the bench. While neither of them is at NAW’s level just yet, they combined will need to help make up the firepower on the bench in his absence.