NBA Season Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Written by Brendon Donohoe

Welcome to our NBA season preview. Leading up to the first game of the NBA season, we will be counting down every team in the NBA. Next up, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

28) Minnesota Timberwolves

2014-2015 Record: 16-66

Roster Breakdown

• Key Offseason Additions: Tayshaun Prince (FA), Andre Miller (FA), Karl Anthony-Towns (Draft), Tyus Jones (Draft), Nemanja Bjelica (Trade), Damjan Rudez (Trade)
• Key Offseason Losses: Anthony Bennett, Chase Budinger

The Timberwolves roster is loaded with young talent, brimming with potential. No one player exemplifies this more than Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins put up some stellar numbers in the second half of his rookie campaign, as he went on to win the ROY. Don’t expect anything less this year, as Wiggins will most likely take the next step to being a superstar in the NBA. The other centerpiece of this roster is the big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who was chosen number one overall in this year’s draft. While Towns isn’t as NBA ready as his counterpart in Philadelphia, Jahlil Okafor, he does have the potential of an All-NBA center. Other than the two centerpieces, there is also the point guard Ricky Rubio, who was once thought to be one of the keys to the future. Now Rubio is more of a cog in the machine, albeit a very important cog. Rubio is talented as a lot of things, but shooting is not one of them. If he ever fixes his shot, then Rubio might just become the guard we all thought he would be. The starting rotation is rounded out by two old veterans, Kevin Martin and Kevin Garnett. Martin showed last year that he still has the talent to be a quality starting player in this league. Garnett sadly didn’t show that level of talent. It is hard to see Garnett as a quality starter any more. He showed a significant drop-off in production last year, and odds are there will be another drop this year. As a leader and teacher, Garnett still has value, particularly to a team that is so young. As a player, he is better off on the bench.

Similar to the starting rotation, the bench is a mix of youngsters with upside, and experienced veterans. Gorgui Dieng has been a pleasant surprise since the team acquired him in the 2013 draft. Dieng has shown off some stellar defensive skills, and a steadily improving offensive game. Don’t be surprised to see him start as some point this year, as he is currently better on the court than Garnett, and might be a better player than Towns at this point in their careers. Along with Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad was also acquired in the 2013 draft. Shabazz was a disappointment in his rookie year, but showed much improvement in his sophomore campaign, before getting injured. I fully expect Shabazz to take another jump forward, and compete for minutes with starter Kevin Martin. One of the most exciting players on the team, Zack LaVine, had a so-so rookie season, but should have an improved game this year. While LaVine is more suited for the two, he will most likely receive more minutes at the point this year. Tyus Jones, who was recently acquired in the 2015 draft, is a player that is hard to project. His athletic ability doesn’t scream NBA star, but his intangibles and performance in the NCAA tournament say otherwise. I feel like he is more Shabazz Napier, than Kemba Walker, but I hope I’m wrong. Nikola Pekovic will be entering his 6^th season with the T-Wolves, and will look to regain his role as a starter. The talent is there, but the drive may not be. Andre Miller and TayShaun Prince are both well past their days as NBA starters, but a minor role on the bench is very suitable for them. Mentoring the younger guys should be their primary role this season. It is yet to be seen whether Adriean Payne will pan out in the NBA, but by being under the wing of Garnett, he could not ask for a better situation to be in. Don’t expect much from Lorenzo Brown. Damjan Rudez at best will fill a Steve Novak like role for the team. Nemanja Bjelica could end up being a key facet of the team’s second unit, but also may just end being a bench filler.

Question on Everyone’s Mind?

What can we expect from the young guys this season?

The young Timberwolves team comes with a lot of promise, but as we have seen many times in the NBA, potential doesn’t always live up to the hype. Fortunately for the T-Wolves, this group looks like it will actually live up to the hype. Andrew Wiggins looks like a no brainer to reach superstardom. Like MVP caliber superstardom. There was some cause to worry in the first half of his rookie campaign, but his second half showed off that star power. I expect more of that second half performance this year and then some. The other superstar level talent, Karl Anthony-Towns, may not have that same level of impact this year though. I think Anthony-Towns will be an All-NBA big man someday, but I don’t see rookie of the year in his future. I’m not sure if he is even the best big man on his team right now. Anthony-Towns will show the signs of what will make him one of the best, but his production will not match the hype in his rookie season. The big man that may be better than Anthony Towns is right now is Gorgui Dieng. Dieng is a starter worthy big man in the NBA, and he will show that this season. Similar to Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad has shown the skills of being a starter, and he too will prove his worth this season. Don’t expect much from Adreian Payne early in the season, but as he learns more from Garnett, he should slowly start making a nice impact off the bench. Expect even less from Tyus Jones, as he should just try to learn as much as he can this season. Last is Zach LaVine. LaVine has incredible athletic talent, but a skill set that still needs work. Off the bench, LaVine is suitable guard for the second team. If LaVine wants to make that jump, he needs to focus on being a shooting guard first, and a point guard second. That means improving his shot, specifically his three point shot.

Season Outlook

As excited as I am for the future of this team, I don’t see them making the jump this year. This season is all about development, and another high draft pick sure would help. For most of the young talent, I expect to see a visible improvement. I also expect this season to be the last in the great career of Kevin Garnett. I am going to predict that Head Coach Flip Saunders keeps his job (much to the displeasure of everyone), Gorgui Dieng moves into a starting role, Shabazz Muhammad takes over as starting shooting guard, Kevin Martin gets traded, and Ricky Rubio fails to improve.

Las Vegas Over/Under – 25.5

Prediction – Under with 24, finishing 15th in the West

Check out the other installments of our NBA season preview.

30) Philadelphia 76ers

29) Brooklyn Nets

27) Portland Trail Blazers

26) Denver Nuggets