The Minnesota Timberwolves have added some serious firepower to their arsenal this offseason, so how many points per game can they expect to average?
The acquisitions have come in plenty for the Minnesota Timberwolves the last month. Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson have all joined the pack, and there should still be more to come.
These new names, combined with an already-powerful Timberwolves squad have led to the creation of an offensive powerhouse that will be a major threat in the Western Conference next season.
Now, the Timberwolves offense was already at a high level last year, finishing with the 13th highest points-per-game despite having the seventh-worst record. The new acquisitions, however, should push the Timberwolves’ offense to a whole new level. Players like three-time All-NBA defensive third team Jimmy Butler will help on the other end of the court to round out the Timberwolves complete game.
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It’s hard to determine just how many points the Timberwolves can average next season, but looking at the newly-acquired Wolves’ stats compared to the dearly departed may give us an insight into what’s possible.
For starters, the Timberwolves said goodbye to long-serving point guard Ricky Rubio, and welcome Jeff Teague into the fold. Last season, Rubio averaged 11.1 points per game, good enough for fourth on the team, despite a struggle shooting earlier in the season.
Teague averaged 15.3 points per game last season for Indiana, shooting at a slightly higher percentage. However, Teague averaged 1.3 assists less than Rubio. The trade-off for more points per game from our new point guard may come with fewer opportunities for the rest of the team. Teague’s 7.8 per game did, however, come as a career-high, and Timberwolves’ fans can hope its a trend that will keep rising.
Zach LaVine, an integral part of the Timberwolves’ young Big three, also departed Minnesota in return for the leader of the Timberwolves’ new Big three, Jimmy Butler.
Butler’s great play last season led to his addition to the All-NBA Third team, honors that have evaded any Timberwolves players for a few years.
Whilst LaVine was having a career season before tearing his ACL, his 18.9 points per game falls short of Butler’s career-high 23.9. Whilst both players contributed plenty to their team on the offensive end of the court, Butler has superior defensive ability and will hopefully boost the Timberwolves greatly on both ends of the court.
Jamal Crawford joined the Timberwolves as our new sixth-man, replacing Shabazz Mohammad for the title. Mohammad scored 9.9 points per game for the Wolves, in 19.4 minutes per appearance.
Crawford finished last season averaging 12.3 points per game, in just under seven minutes more per appearance.
Crawford’s game is more complete and should serve the Timberwolves better, however, as to be expected from an older player. The veteran presence provided by Crawford is also sure to help in the development of the younger Timberwolves.
Taj Gibson also joined the Timberwolves in Minnesota this offseason, however, he doesn’t seem to be replacing any departee (yet). He may, however, be taking the starting job from Gorgui Dieng.
Gibson averaged 10.8 points per game last season, slightly better than Dieng’s 10.0. Gibson’s familiarity with Tom Thibodeau and his style of basketball could, however, help his case for starting power forward, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his numbers grow.
So, how many points can the Timberwolves’ expect to average? The improvement in offense over last years’ roster should lead to an increase in numbers, despite a greater spread of scoring throughout the team. With free agency still ongoing, it’s likely we will see more additions to the bench, which struggled greatly last year.
In estimating a number, I would place to Timberwolves’ likely points per game to sit halfway between their 13th rated and Golden State’s 1st rated offense last season, which comes in at 110.75.
Should the Timberwolves be able to achieve that number, that would have them sitting at fourth-highest last season, which is a spot they would love to be.
However, for the Timberwolves to truly contend next season, they’ll be needing more than just offense. Their defensive game must lift too in order to create a complete and dominating game.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves’ offense will certainly be getting a boost next season, and it should see them slot into the Western Conference playoffs nicely.