Twitter Believes Timberwolves’ Future Is Still Bright
According to Twitter, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future looks as bright as ever despite not making the playoffs for the 13th consecutive year.
The Minnesota Timberwolves came into the 2016-17 season with a lot of promise. Some experts thought they might be able to sneak into eighth place in the Western Conference and end their playoff drought.
Even though the season didn’t pan out as much as optimistic fans would have liked, the future is bright for the Timberwolves and their young core.
Every Tuesday, Dunking With Wolves will check in with the twitter world to get their thoughts about the Minnesota Timberwolves and the hot button topics of the week. You can tweet us your thoughts throughout the week @DunkingWolvesFS.
To start us off, @FreeTyus weighs in. He is excited about the future but believes that next season is a make or break year for the Timberwolves.
He’s also excited about the logo design being released at halftime of Tuesday night’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have completed the hardest part of any rebuild, acquiring the star talent to build around.
In Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves have at least two players on their roster who have the potential to be staples in the All-Star game for years to come.
They also have a potential third star in Zach LaVine, depending on how his recovery from ACL surgery progresses.
Given the ages of these three potential stars, all 22 years old and younger, Minnesota still has a couple of years before we should be worried about them not making the playoffs.
Even with that, Timberwolves’ fans and players would be extremely disappointed if the Wolves extend their playoff drought next season.
However, I believe we should temper our expectations.
@Revolutionsolar thinks the Minnesota Timberwolves need three things to become a playoff team next season. The first being an improved defense, the second is to become stronger and more physical and finally improved bench depth.
For the #Twolves to become a playoff team they need 1) improved defense, 2) Become stronger & more physical & 3) improved bench depth. https://t.co/AVW4EEMYI8
— Ken Bradley (@REVOLUTIONSOLAR) April 6, 2017
It’s hard to argue with you, Mr. Bradley.
For a good stretch after the All-Star break, the Timberwolves looked like they had taken a step in the right direction. They were playing great defense and beginning to make a playoff push.
That didn’t last long, however, as they soon lost their concentration and slipped back to their porous defense fans were used to all season.
Being a young team typically comes with a couple of disadvantages. One of those disadvantages is that you haven’t had as much time in the weight room as other, older players.
Players like Kris Dunn, Tyus Jones, Wiggins, and Towns will continue to develop their strength as they get more offseason’s under their belt.
Finally, Mr. Bradley is spot on with the improved bench depth. The Timberwolves have the lowest scoring bench in the NBA this season.
That was never more clear then in Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
For much of the game, only four Minnesota Timberwolves’ players were in the scoring column. To make matters worse, Towns and Wiggins combined for 81 points and they still lost the game.
As I previously mentioned, the Timberwolves have the stars to build around. I would look for them to fill in some of those pieces in the offseason.
Next, Dunking With Wolves polled our Twitter followers to see how you would rate the season:
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very unsuccessful and 10 being very successful, where would you rate the #TWolves season? #PowerOfThePack
— Dunking With Wolves (@DunkingWolvesFS) April 9, 2017
Most of you rated the season within the 4-6 range, right on the border between successfull and unsuccessful.
One man in particular, @AZ_Eric_D, believes that the Minnesota Timberwolves are getting close. He is waiting for the time when Towns and Wiggins will draw free agents to Minnesota.
Minnesota did make progress this season. Regardless of the hopes and dreams coming into the season, the Timberwolves finished this year with a better record than last.
Improvement doesn’t always happen in leaps and bounds, sometimes it happens in baby steps. This year was a perfect example of that.
If the Timberwolves are ever lucky enough, Wiggins and Towns will continue to develop their game, and develop it in Minnesota.
The Wolves can only hope for a world where they are a preferred destination for free agents.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves Season Wasn't A Failure
Until that time comes, Minnesota is going to have to settle for paying a premium price for their role-players, just like the majority of NBA teams.