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Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 reasons they won’t make the 2018 playoffs

By Allen Wardell

Nov 25, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 98-85. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 98-85. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Timberwolves catch the injury bug.

I know this could be said about any team in professional sports:“If x team loses y player for a significant amount of time, they are going to be terrible!”

In all honesty, this reason is probably the biggest reason in my opinion why the Minnesota Timberwolves won’t make the playoffs in 2018.

If Karl-Anthony Towns or Andrew Wiggins goes down with a significant injury, or if Zach LaVine isn’t able to come back to the player that he was before his ACL injury, I just can’t see at this point in time how the Timberwolves can overcome that while trying to sneak into the 8th seed in the West over some of the teams we discussed in the previous slide.

That’s why it’s crucial for this team to be active (and smart) in free agency and in the draft to bring the right guys in to complement the young core of the Timberwolves.

The fewer minutes that Towns, Wiggins and eventually LaVine play because the Timberwolves actually have a dependable bench unit, then the less Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves fans have to worry about their core guys getting worn down.

Hopefully, they do keep Ricky Rubio around, are able to add to their bench and avoid major injuries so they can be playing meaning basketball games in April and May in 2018.

Next: 5 reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves make the playoffs

If not, you can look forward to another post like this in May of 2018.