Minnesota Timberwolves 2023-24 Regular Season Superlatives

Before the Wolves kick off their playoff series against the Suns on Saturday, let’s enjoy all the best moments of a historic 2023-24 season from Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and Co.

The Minnesota Timberwolves smashed just about every single expectation of them entering the 2023-24 season, registering a 56-26 regular season record, good for second-best in franchise history.

Over and over again, the 18 players making up the Wolves made fans fall in love with a team that brought a contagious joy to every arena they stepped into. For the first time in 20 years, they put a product on the floor that made fans feel like this season was going to be an inflection point, the moment after which all the bad memories, embarrassing performances, and losing seasons were no longer the first thing to come to mind when you hear “Minnesota Timberwolves.”

So, before the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday afternoon, take a moment to remember all the incredible memories the 2023-24 Timberwolves created. Think of all the joyous nights spent watching Wolves basketball, from Anthony Edwards dunks to plays that made you want to pick up your phone tweet out NAZ REID in all caps, to Rudy Gobert defensive masterclasses, to Mike Conley making you feel safe, to Nickeil Alexander-Walker hitting electric slide 3s, to Karl-Anthony Towns setting an NBA record for most points in a first half (44), to Jordan McLaughlin shooting 100% from 3 (don’t fact check me), to all the games holding opponents under 100 points and 40% shooting, and everything in between.

No playoff result can take that joy away. So here’s to the 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves, a team we will always remember for bringing defense back, inspiring hope, and giving their fans a team not only to show up and sell out 41 games to support, but to be proud of.

Raise a glass, and enjoy our staff reliving a truly wonderful six months with some superlatives.

Cheers.

— Jack Borman

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Best On-Court Moment

That one Troy Brown Jr. Game. I remember it like it was yesterday; the weird pale blue In-Season Tournament court, the random torrent of 3-pointers that pushed Minnesota to beat a division rival Oklahoma City Thunder, the feeling that the Wolves had finally found an element that could help the anemic offense.

Unfortunately, it didn’t really last, and TBJ’s season ended in Detroit, not the Twin Cities. But, for about 20 minutes, we had something to hold onto.

If we’re going non-Wolves on court moments, I’ll take the layup answer and go with the entire mixtape of Wemby insanity. Seriously, as someone who used to run into 2K17 hackers who had made 7-foot-8 dribble gods with 13-foot wingspans and 99 3-point rating, I can’t believe that we have begun to see something similar in the real world. Or maybe it was James Harden closing out on his own teammate. God, what a season! — Thilo Latrell Widder

The Block. Yes, a capital B. You can put this on the NBA Mount Rushmore of blocks. LeBron Game 7. Tayshaun retiring Reggie Miller. Wizards Jordan turns back the clock. Ant hits head on backboard. It was one of those plays that not only turned into segments on talk shows/podcasts, but one of those rare moments where you couldn’t believe what you just saw. Something you tell your future friends, kids, and/or pets about. “I saw it live!” — Leo Sun

It has to be the point-at-’em trend that was sparked by a Karl-Anthony Towns poster in Orlando early in the season. There was nothing better than being inside Target Center, witnessing a poster, and getting to point at the crime with the bench and fellow fans. I can’t imagine anything more demoralizing than catching a mean dunk in the face and having the opposing bench, or the entire arena, just point at you while losing their collective minds — Charlie Walton

My best moment has to be the Anthony Edwards flurry that ended the Boston Celtics at the home game in early November. Over and over again, Ant would not be denied. Crushing the Celtics in overtime with eight points and providing dagger after dagger into a Boston squad that was undefeated at the time. To go along with the surging crowd and Anthony Edwards handshakes that lasted the length of the floor, it felt like that win was an “oh s***, this team is special” moment. Amazing stuff from a great squad. — Benny Hughes

Defeating the Golden State Warriors for the second straight game after Draymond Green attempted to choke out Rudy Gobert was certainly one of the most satisfying victories of the season. The win also capped off a seven-game win streak in the midst of a month where they would win 13 of their 15 games. — Ryan Eichten

Nickeil Alexander-Walker going off for 28 points on 5-6 shooting from deep in Los Angeles to help the Timberwolves complete their comeback win over the Clippers back on March 12th. I became very, very high on NAW in his short time at the back end of last season when he was thrown in as a salary filler during the trade that brought in Mike Conley and shipped off D’Angelo Russell. I picked him to be the most valuable player to the Wolves’ success, and I said he was going to be the player to surprise Wolves fans the most in “The 8th Annual 100% Accurate, Never Wrong Canis Hoopus Opening Night Predictions.”

His performance in that game was also extremely vindicating to me, because I had written about him and his well-rounded game and how vital is was to the Wolves having the success they were having. I suffer from imposter syndrome a lot, and writing this piece and watching NAW go out and perform the way he did helped validate my thoughts about myself and that I do produce great work and have a pretty solid understanding of the pulse on the league, and specifically of this team. Thanks Nickeil, I owe you one. — Will Tzavaras

---

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Best Off-Court Moment

My answer to this is Timberwolves Brazil, but not as an account, but the responses he incited. The sheer fear that emanated through the timeline during those first 10 games of the season was felt, and I can’t figure out if the Wolves were scarier on court or on the internet. Just an absolutely insane time to be alive.

Edit: Being able to run “In The Loopus” every week and writing 800 words about Marjon Beauchamp or comparing Isaiah Hartenstein to Hannah Montana was more fun and more important to me, but it certainly wasn’t the same level of cultural touchpoint. — Thilo Latrell Widder

This is probably only important to me, but nothing is ever going to top being requested by the Timberwolves PR team and KAT’s best friend to meet him after the Warriors game in November (Before “Choke Gate”). They apparently knew I was going to the game before I even knew. Hell, I had only just landed stateside from my flight back from Tokyo 24 hours before the tip-off. It was all in reference to the Open Letter to KAT piece I wrote before the season. Not only did he read it, and not only did he send me a signed jersey with a message, but he wanted to meet me in person to thank me for it. Never would I have ever imagined that. — Leo Sun

The Naz Reid towel game takes the cake for my favorite off-court moment. Seeing all 19,000 fans inside Target Center hold up their Naz Reid beach towels after Reid connected on a triple with 2:35 left in Minnesota’s eventual win over the Cleveland Cavilers was nothing short of special. I can’t imagine what it was like for Reid’s family, who was in attendance, to see that. He truly is the fan’s MVP, and it was shown that night. — Charlie Walton

This could be recency bias, but I loved the KAT return game vs. the Atlanta Hawks and more specifically the two big’s interviews after the game. It felt poetic for a variety of reasons: KAT coming back from injury, against the same team he did last year and the Wolves holding on to win an important contest. Last year’s return was marked by the quote from Towns — “This is what movies is made of” — so it was only fitting that Gobert, who was dominant in the matchup, said the same exact quote during the postgame interview. This moment was only made sweeter by Towns directing the crowd in an echoing “Rudy! Rudy!” chant – elated for his teammates success. — Benny Hughes

In August, lakeside of Lake Minnetonka, the Timberwolves unveiled their new lake-themed jerseys. Reid, Conley, and family arrived at the event via boat to showcase the Timberwolves new city edition uniforms. It was one of the Minnesotan ways to unveil new uniforms and was a fun way to kick off the new Wolves season. — Ryan Eichten

Undoubtedly, it was when Towns donated $1,500 dollars to @KGForMVP211 shortly after his mother passed. On that exact same day, Towns was informed that he had suffered another injury, this one being a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. For Towns to extend the offering even though he was likely not having the best day stuck out to me a lot. At the end of the day, I will forget the wins and the losses, the euphoric highs and heart breaking lows being a fan of sports brings, but I will never forget moments like this. I lost my own mother in January and was feeling very down on myself for a long time, but for some odd reason this act of kindness from Towns snapped me out of it, and I figured the world was going to be alright. — Will Tzavaras

---

Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images

Best Performance in a Leading Role

I’m going with the Wolves at Celtics game back in November. I remember it vividly not just because I was on my honeymoon some 750 feet above ground, walking around Shibuya Sky tower and burning my data internationally just to stream the game, but because of how Ant completely took over the game late. I was only able to get a consistent working legal stream during overtime, but that was just in time for the grand finale. Ant ripping the ball from Tatum. Uncorking jumper after jumper. Then that wild floater (?) to finish it off. Like Benny said above, it was an “Oh s***!” moment. — Leo Sun

I will go with the Edwards career-high 51 points against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards came out and blitzed the Wolves early with a flurry of three pointers to lead by 18 at the end of the first quarter. KAT was still out with injury and Reid was ejected for a flagrant two foul after eight minutes, but Edwards would not be stopped. In a game against an inferior opponent, where Ant sometimes struggles getting up for those matchups, he was locked in and looked like the best player on the court by a great margin. What made it even better was that, watching the game, it did not feel as though anything was forced or that he was close to scoring that many points. He did it so effortlessly. You barely realized how dominant he had been until looking up in the fourth quarter and seeing how much he had put up. That is a leading performer. — Benny Hughes

It became quickly overshadowed by the fact that the Timberwolves lost the game, but Karl-Anthony towns scoring 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets was one of the most impressive performances I saw. KAT is now one of just 10 players in NBA history to multiple 60-point games in their career. — Ryan Eichten

Rudy Gobert and his performance against the Atlanta Hawks on April 12. He goes 10-10 from the floor and snags down 19 total rebounds. This is one game, but Gobert has by far been the MVP in regards to bringing it on the floor every single night regardless of opponent status. Head Coach Chris Finch raved about Gobert being the the “difference in the reason that you win and the reason that you don’t lose. Rudy is the reason we don’t lose.”

Performances like this from Gobert all year have been critical into getting a top three seed for only the second time in franchise history. This type of performance backs that up when it could have easily been another night of fans and players asking themselves “How did we lose to a bottom feeding team again?” — Will Tzavaras

March 7. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. A lot happened on March 7. The day started with grim news — Towns was out indefinitely with a torn left meniscus. The Timberwolves were No. 1 in the West, with the playoffs fast approaching. They entered the final 17 games of the regular season without their second-leading scorer. In a season where the Wolves remained relatively healthy, their luck quickly ran out.

That same day, the team was in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, taking on the Indiana Pacers. Less than five seconds into the game, Edwards rolled his left ankle and was forced to be subbed out of the game. Many, myself included, feared the worst. However, shortly after a quick stint in the locker room, Edwards re-emerged and went on to hang 44 points on the Pacers, leading Minnesota to a 113-111 win that was capitalized by Ant’s game-saving block in which he hit his head on the rim.

His point total and freakish block further added to his building megastar resume, but more importantly, it injected a much-needed spark in the Wolves. That late-game denial proved to everyone that not all hope was lost for Minnesota. Why? Because Edwards was on the team. — Charlie Walton

---

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Post-Trade Deadline Kyle Anderson. An unflappable Draymond Green after facing months of trade rumors. I will be so sad to see Slow-Mo go this offseason, especially because his play has improved so much in the past few months. He is still not being covered as a shooter, but everything else is genuinely so impactful and so good. Hard to overstate. — Thilo Latrell Widder

Would you be surprised my favorite non-star player on the team isn’t Li Kaier? It’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker. This may have been a bit of an inconsequential game, but two months ago, the Wolves visited the tanking Trailblazers on the end of a back-to-back situation on the road. Their fourth of six straight road games. With just over 10 minutes left in the game, the score was surprisingly tied 86-86. Then NAW hit a contested baseline triple. Then another. Another. Side-step, “Electric slide. YES SIR!!!” In less than four minutes of game time, in yet another classic trap game, NAW created a 12-point advantage which the Wolves never relinquished. — Leo Sun

I’ll say with Leo’s theme of great Alexander-Walker games. My game of choosing is his 28-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was a +14 in 28 minutes, but more importantly, NAW ripped in five triples on six attempts, shooting 9-of-10 overall from the floor. Each and every one of his shots from deep slowly sucked the life out of Crypto.com Arena as the Wolves were en route to a 44-point comeback swing. — Charlie Walton

This may be the obvious answer, but Reid has been a revelation this season. Not only has he been the best performer in a supporting role all year (including being in the running for the award that the NBA gives out for just this kind of performer) but has had notable marquee games in big spots for the Wolves. My favorite was his performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the last games of the regular season. He scored 31 points on 16 shots and dominated under the bright lights of L.A. Two words. — Benny Hughes

---

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Favorite Game

For me, it must be Game 66 when the Timberwolves took on the Clippers in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to be at that game, sitting a few rows behind Minnesota’s bench. Most of the first half was doom and gloom until the Wolves flipped a 22-point deficit into a 22-point lead in the second half and went on to win 118-110. Crypto.com Arena was subdued as Minnesota was on its run, so I – along with the other Wolves fans – made sure to turn our voices up a few octave levels to compensate. The euphoric night was capped off by Edwards, who poured in 37 points, receiving MVP chants as he exited the floor — Charlie Walton

My choice was a bit of a choppy game, but the end result of the Wolves victory on LeBron’s birthday is going to be my answer. Any game versus this stolen team is always a playoff game to me. Minnesota had done everything they needed to do in order to maintain a comfortable lead despite a huge turnover, personal foul, and free throw (Drink!) disparity. Ant exploded for 31. Naz Reid did Naz Reid things. Mike hit a clutch corner 3-ball.

But of course, it doesn’t count as a Wolves game if it didn’t come with some late-game shenanigans to inexplicably blow a sure-fire win. They gave up an and-one. Jaden compounded it with a tech. Then give up a 3-pointer. Then the moment we all knew was coming. Off a miss, LeBron pulls up from three and cashes in a near buzzer beating shot that tied the game. Did I mention hijinks? A controversial accurate review of a long-2 was confirmed and LeBron lost his shit (Cue the memes), and the game. Cinema. — Leo Sun

I enjoyed the game early in the season against the Golden State Warriors where Mike Conley clinched the comeback with a clutch three pointer after the theatrics early in the game. As Steph Curry was not playing, it seemed like an easier path to a win for the Wolves. However, any gameplan that they had in place went right out the window as Green decided that he did not want to play that day and went to put Gobert in a chokehold after Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson got into a scuffle less than two minutes into the game. After that insanity, it was tough for Minnesota to pull away despite the lack of talent at the other end. Luckily they executed down the stretch and Conley put the game on ice with a corner 3 assisted by Edwards. This showed the grit and toughness we’ve seen all season from this Wolves team. — Benny Hughes

The March 19th matchup against Denver at home was an out of body experience. Rudy, Naz, and KAT were all out. It was time to watch Luka Garza attempt to guard Nikola Jokic. It was the first time the Wolves were in 15 days and this was dropped at their doorstep. I fully embraced a 20+ point loss. I was going to be thankful that I got to watch a future Hall-Of-Famer in Nikola Jokić get to hoop that night, but it turned out to be something completely else. It was a showcase of a resilient team that was going to scratch, claw, and bite for every single win they possibly could. If the Timberwolves are able to bring an NBA championship First Avenue, this game will be the defining moment when I knew they had “it.” — Will Tzavaras

---

Favorite Quote

• “Sensational” — Anthony Edwards — Thilo Latrell Widder
• “CASH!” or any number of signature Michael Grady lines. — Leo Sun
• “I call it a Paul Pierce moment” — Naz Reid on Anthony Edwards leaving games with an “injury” and re-emerging from the locker room shortly thereafter. — Ryan Eichten
• “Yessirski! KAT is back baby” — Benny Hughes

---

Favorite Social Follow

@NBA, I am the Rob Lowe of this thread. I loved how Wolves fans bullied the NBA account into releasing an essay about standings that nobody even reads. — Thilo Latrell Widder

@NoPantsCrunch has gotten audible chuckles out of me as I silently doomscroll through Twitter in bed. I appreciate their unbridled enthusiasm/optimism as much as I enjoy their uniquely creative content like #Timberwolves Power Rankings™ . Always good for a great laugh. — Leo Sun

With how deep Wolves Twitter is, picking a favorite follow is like picking a favorite child. But I don’t have any actual kids, so who cares? @BrandonBeck4’s work with the aforementioned No Pants Crunch and his Hall of Fame Twitter account are incredibly entertaining. — Charlie Walton

I will stick in the same vein as Leo and Charlie and say @BrandonBeck4 from @NoPantsCrunch. It feels as though at times that he is my burner account as I have read more than a few tweets that seem as though they have been taken from my innermost thoughts and personal conversations with my friends. It’s uncanny. Oh, he is also pretty funny and a positive voice on Wolves Twitter, too. — Benny Hughes

After this season, @ParkwayPizzaNE is now a staple of the Timberwolves community. From their “Honk if you love Naz Reid sign,” to this amazing tweet before a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, Parkway is fantastic follow for pizza themed Wolves tweets. — Ryan Eichten

@NBA_University is by far my favorite. The stats he puts out are always fun to look at and gives me a better understanding of individual players across the league and what they are good at, and what they struggle with. As an advanced analytics lover who hates the eye test, his tweets frequently get sent to friends and group chats followed by conversation that eventually degrades into nothing. — Will Tzavaras

---

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Least Favorite Opponent

Everyone who thinks “Seatbelt” isn’t the best Jaden McDaniels nickname. — Thilo Latrell Widder

The Los Angeles Lakers. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more anti-something in my life. They are the 1%ers of the NBA sphere who feel entitled to the playoffs, every whistle, and all nationally televised games. The majority of their fanbase are uninformed casuals who are just as willing to put on a Warriors jersey as they would a Heat jersey. They are also my wife, which is the universe’s way of punishing me. — Leo Sun

The Golden State Warriors. It felt as though, according to their fans, every single game against them was somehow a fluke even though the Wolves swept the season series 3-0. On top of this, listening to Draymond Green talk about the Minnesota Timberwolves after getting destroyed by them over and over is annoying to say the least. — Benny Hughes

For some odd reason, the Chicago Bulls were one of just two teams to not be defeated by the Timberwolves this season. For a team that finished 20th in 3-point percentage, they sure didn’t show it as they shot 44.4% and 58.6% from deep in the two matchups against the Wolves. — Ryan Eichten

The Charlotte Hornets. Of the last eight meetings between Charlotte and Minnesota dating back to 2021, the Wolves have just two wins. For whatever reason, the Wolves are allergic to playing well against this bottom-feeder. This came to a head after Charlotte’s 18-point comeback in the second half, which stole the thunder away from Towns’s 62-point game.

Additionally, I don’t like the Hornets’ jerseys, and, oh yeah, they employ Miles Bridges. — Charlie Walton

---

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Least Favorite Opposing Player

Can I put a coach? We’ve had two opposite sides of the hilarity spectrum from a coaching standpoint this year, and while Doc Rivers has brought me a never-ending stream of joy in the form of quote graphics that turned me into NBA Twitter’s boogieman (shout out to Harrison Faigen, and all of his tweets I was called to by the Canis crew), Monty Williams did the opposite.

I really loved the Pistons’ 2-1 start and kept watching them throughout the year, and Monty Williams was genuinely, unequivocally terrible. No one was even in the same stratosphere of terrible coach as that man in the first year of his albatross of a contract. He single-handedly ruined my enjoyment of Detroit basketball (How was it there to begin with?!). — Thilo Latrell Widder

There’s a lot of low hanging “Wolves Killer” fruit out there, but Joel Embiid is the right answer. In almost every CH comments section, you’ll see it. “Embiid to the line for 2.” Dude is immensely talented in the actual facets of basketball, yet willingly decides to pour as many skill points into grifting. I truly believe no one else loves falling to the floor more than Embiid, and this is coming from someone who watches KAT and Naz Reid play basketball. He also has his teenage bully persona filled with WWE crotch chops and air humps. I guess that’s what sells to kids (and adults?). — Leo Sun

I will go with quite possibly the easiest one imaginable and talk about a Heat forward who I refuse to name… but I feel that we all know the General I am talking about. The smugness and weird hatred that this player exudes while mostly sitting in street clothes on the sidelines against Minnesota is baffling. He has ducked the Wolves more times than I can count and I will say that it is awesome to watch him struggle through the Play-In this year while we enjoy our week break before hosting a first round playoff series. Maybe Minnesota doesn’t f—ing need him” after all. — Benny Hughes

Domantas Sabonis was the must frustrating Wolves opponent to watch. The amount of contact he gets away with under the rim is astounding. Pair that with the “chicken wing” elbow that he often gets away with, he is a maddening player to watch play against your favorite team. — Ryan Eichten

Joel Embiid. He perfectly summarizes everything that I hate about the modern game. He’s a Hall-Of-Fame flopper while also having the best whistle in the league. He is a regular season merchant and is playoff dropper. For a guy who is as talented as he is, seeing him resort to grifting and baiting for fouls drives me to the deepest ends of insanity. I can not argue that he dominates games, but I hate the way in which he does it. He’s a seven foot 280 pound monster who can wreak havoc on the both ends of the basketball, yet he opts to grift. He flops so bad he tore his own teammates ACL in the 2022 playoffs. — Will Tzavaras

Mine is a weirder one; it’s Jae Crowder. Not because of his tussle with Karl-Anthony Towns back in 2022 after the Bossman was fired (which was, in fact, awesome). Rather, Crowder had a history of playing well against Minnesota. Aside from his 21-point effort against the Wolves on February 8, Jae doesn’t have a history of putting together terrific games against the Wolves. However, I always remember him — particularly while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies — checking into games and hitting timely 3-pointers while playing lock-down defense against the well-under-.500 Wolves.

I actually like Crowder’s game and what he brings to a contender; I just don’t like it when he has to play against the Wolves. — Charlie Walton