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Timberwolves off-season roster power rankings

By Christian Anton

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Karl-Anthony Towns
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Karl-Anthony Towns /
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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: NBA player Cole Aldrich poses for a portrait at NBPA Headquarters on June 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for the NBPA)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: NBA player Cole Aldrich poses for a portrait at NBPA Headquarters on June 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for the NBPA) /

11. Cole Aldrich

Minnesota native Cole Aldrich has been the center of speculation for many trade rumors this off-season despite playing only one year for the Timberwolves.

The reason being, well, he didn’t do much off the bench last year.  When looking back on last year, many fans know that the bench was a big Achilles’ heel and Aldrich was part of that unit.

The Bloomington Jefferson graduate averaged just 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game off of the bench last year. For a bench unit that desperately needed some sort of offense outside of Shabazz Muhammad, Aldrich was unable to contribute.

Although Cole had a rough year, not everything was negative for the backup center.  He earned the respect of Thibodeau enough to play him as the primary back up to KAT over Jordan Hill. In addition to this, Aldrich had a decent player efficiency rating of 12.7 last year.

When projecting this year’s lineup, Aldrich will most likely see even more bench time than last year.  Cole may be moved before the All-Star break due to his contract status, as his 2017-18 deal is only partially guaranteed. Regardless, this may be the last year Aldrich plays for the Timberwolves — due in large part to the next player on our list.