How does Timberwolves’ Big 3 rank in Northwest Division?

It’s been a busy off-season in the Northwest Division. Let’s take a look at where the Timberwolves’ new ‘Big Three’ ranks among their division rivals.

To say that the NBA offseason has been exciting would be an understatement.

Players have been leaving teams to make “super teams” left and right. The Chris Paul trade to the Rockets and the Gordon Hayward signing in Boston are just a couple of examples, plus, Kevin Durant stayed in Golden State to keep the biggest super team together. And just when you thought all the big time moving was done, Kyrie Irving stayed in the Eastern Conference but moved to the Celtics along with Hayward.

The biggest winner of the wild offseason has to be the Northwest division. Three of the biggest moves, mixing free agency and trades, happened to take place in one of the most crowded divisions in the NBA. Paul George and Jimmy Butler were sent to Oklahoma City and Minnesota, respectively, for what seemed like cents on the dollar. Butler left Chicago in exchange for an injured Zach LaVine, a rookie in Kris Dunn who had a down year his rookie season, and swapped draft picks. George was sent packing from Indiana for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

The biggest free agent domino to fall in the division is Paul Millsap moving from Atlanta to the Mile High City. With him joining an outstanding young big man in Nikola Jokic, Denver should boast one of the better frontcourts in the association. Combine that with the promising Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay and the Nuggets have a squad that should be competing for the seventh and eighth seeds in the loaded Western Conference.

We have not even mentioned the Trail Blazers, who have one of the best backcourts in the NBA with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. And there’s Utah, too: even though they lost the former Butler Bulldog to Beantown, they have one of the best defensive centers in the game in Rudy Gobert and a passing genius in Ricky Rubio.

In other words, the Northwest Division is absolutely loaded. Also, there is not one team that is head and shoulders above the rest. The battle for the top should be a very fun one to watch.

Another thought is that the teams are very top-heavy. Each team seems to have two or three players that are superstars, stars, or budding stars. With one of the most popular trends (and terms) in basketball being the “Big 3”, let’s rank each team in the division based on exactly that.

5. Utah Jazz

Ricky Rubio, Rudy Gobert, and Joe Johnson

I was going back and forth about the third member of their big three. Rubio and Gobert are the obvious choices, but I found it hard choosing between Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson. While Hood started 41 more games than Johnson, the man they call “Iso Joe” just seemed more noticeable in the offense. Among players who played at least 60 games for Utah, Johnson had the fourth highest effective field goal percentage.

If you stick that trio in the East, it looks like a team that could compete in the weaker conference. In the strong Northwest division in the strong west, however, the Jazz don’t stand a chance.

The main question is where is the offense going to come from? In losing the aforementioned Hayward to Boston and IUPUI’s own George Hill to Sacramento, Utah lost 39 points per game in scoring. Their only meaningful addition this offseason, Ricky Rubio, averaged 11 points per game last season. To be fair, Gobert did score the second most points overall on the team last year with 1,137, and he should be spoon-fed plenty by Rubio. But at a big reason that could change this year is that Hayward and Hill are not there to take opposing players out of the paint with their ability to score from outside.

A bright spot for the fifth seed in the west last season is that they are their two best three-point shooters from last season are still with the team. Johnson and the criminally-underrated Joe Ingles can fill it up from deep, as Ingles shot 44 percent and Johnson shot 41 percent a year ago. A thought among many NBA, and specifically Timberwolves, fans is that the Spaniard would be a much better player if surrounded by shooters. Having two 40%+ 3-point shooters might just be what needs to flourish.

While their top three players being good, but none being great, Utah should have a record around the .500 mark as they are obviously going to slide after losing two of their best three players.

There is one thing we can all agree on: any team with Ricky Rubio at the helm is an exciting one to watch. Take solace in that, Jazz fans, because the playoffs will not be within reach.

4. Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap

Last season, Denver was fighting for a playoff spot until the end. Now, they add a premier player in Paul Millsap and they are about to fight for the playoffs again. Rarely, if ever, is that the case. You can thank the stacked Western Conference for that.

Another year for DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis to mesh hurts their case. Jimmy Butler moving to Minnesota hurts their case, too. With the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies as the two most likely teams to drop out of the playoffs, things are about to get interesting.

Back to the Nuggets. They have a chance to have one of the best frontcourts in the league. Not only could they win now, but they have the chance to win later with the young Jokic.

The young Serbian is most known for his ability to pass the ball averaging 4.9 assists per game last season. That tied him with Brandon Jennings and Blake Griffin among all players and put him slightly ahead of NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. At a position without a ton of playmarkers, that is very impressive. He was also second on his team in scoring behind new Clipper Danilo Gallinari.

Let’s not forget about Millsap, either. The former Hawk is fresh off of a season where he set career-highs in both points (18.1) and assists (3.7) per game. He also comes in with the one thing that all young teams need: veteran experience. With Gallinari heading to La La Land, the best example of veteran presence they had been Wilson Chandler and Jameer Nelson. While they are definitely solid veterans, Millsap is at another level and will be able to work with Jokic and turn his game to another level. Just think of when KG come in and worked with Karl Anthony Towns.

Jamal Murray might be the third player in this Big Three, but he may have the most potential. While Jokic might be the most exciting, we have seen far less from Murray. That’s not a shot at the former Wildcat, of course, but just shows how well Jokic has played.

Murray’s 3-point shooting percentage might not be exciting now (33 percent), but he puts up more than four threes a game. In a league where 3- pointers win games, having a solid shooter who isn’t afraid to let it fly is a very good thing.

3. Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic

The one team without a big offseason addition comes in at #3.

Portland had their most substantial move during the season last year, sending Mason Plumlee and a second-round pick in exchange for, in my opinion, the third-best player on their squad as well as a first-round selection.

Adding that big man to one of the best guard tandems in the NBA in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum gives you a dangerous team.

If I had to start a team and could pick any point guard, I would go with Lillard. Just seeing his combination of being able to finish inside and outside as well as his clutch gene makes me gravitate his way. Plus, having a point guardwho can be a vocal leader and show energy on the court is also a plus.

The perennial All-Star snub has turned up his play as well, turning in his career high in points (27) and rebounds (4.9) per game last season. He also had his personal high in effective field goal percentage at .516.

His running mate in the backcourt is no slouch, either. C.J. McCollum increased his averages in almost every category last season except for the one you don’t want to see an increase in: turnovers. A big number you love to see, however, is 3-point percentage. His 42 percent is a great sign in a league where the 3-ball is critical. Timberwolves fans know the skill level off McCollum all too well…

Former Denver Nugget Jusuf Nurkic rounds out the Portland Big Three. Before he broke his leg, he seemed to be the missing link to take the Blazers to the next level. The Bosnian Beast, as he has been coined by fans, played 20 games for the Blazers and averaged 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds.

With a full season of those three, Portland should be in a good spot come playoff time.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves

Jimmy Butler, Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins

Minnesota not being in the top spot in this category is not a slight on the Wolves whatsover; in fact, they may very well be the top Big Three in the division by the end of the season. With Wiggins, KAT, and Butler, anything is possible (insert KG voice here).

Starting with the former Bull, Butler is something that Minnesota has not had since Garnett left: a legitimate superstar and top-tier player. I don’t think anyone will argue that he is a top-15 player and more than likely top-10 in the NBA. He has the ability to score from inside and out and can finish at the rim with the best players in the league.

The former Marquette Golden Eagle is also an elite defensive player, which is something Thibs and company desperately need. They can put him on any team’s top player and have him locked down. Team defense was an issue last year for the Timberwolves. They ranked 26th in defensive rating in their first season under their defensive-minded head coach. Jimmy Buckets will shore that up quickly.

Towns is another top player for the squad that calls the Target Center home. A top-20 player, KAT has as sweet an offensive game as you can have in the NBA. He can post up and use his beautiful footwork to score on any defender, and can rise up from 15 feet and knock it down all day. He can even step behind the arc and knock down threes.

Towns’ defense, however, needs some work. He was routinely caught out of position last season and was simply not as good of a rim-protector as you would like a seven-footer to be. While KAT did have some blame in that, I also put part of it on Wiggins and LaVine. They were basically turnstiles last season and left the former Wildcat in some very bad situations. Towns’ defense will improve with Butler and Taj Gibson brought in.

In my opinion, the most important player this season will be Andrew Wiggins. If he takes the jump everyone expects him to this year, this team will be scary come playoff time. As is, he is a great scorer that does not play the kind of defense his 6’-8” frame suggests that he should. If Wiggs can pick up some tips from his running mate Butler, the former Jayhawk could become the best third option in the league.

This season will be a fun one for the Wolves players and fans. By the end of the season, I expect them to have the best Big Three in the division. As it stands now, however, that title will go to a team a bit further south.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – JULY 12:  Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks to fans and media during a media event on July 12, 2017 at the Jones Assembly Hall in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Steven Adams

The Oklahoma City Thunder get the nod as my top Northwest Big Three for two reasons: Paul George and the reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook showed last year that he can be a force whenever needed. Being the first player in the NBA since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double is no small feat, of course. While some say he might just be stat-stuffing and it doesn’t really help his team win, well, he did it and it is an amazing achievement.

One supposed knock on Russ is that he can’t play with other stars. When Kevin Durant and James Harden were in town, his aggressive, ball-dominant play style made it tough for all three to coexist. Yes, they did make it to the Finals one year, but with that kind of talent, making the Finals is expected. Chemistry wins titles, and OKC seemingly didn’t have enough of it.

In comes Paul George from the Indiana Pacers, an almost perfect running mate for a player of Westbrook’s playing style and personality. A superstar, but a superstar who will not try to overstep Russ and just let him do what he does while adding his own numbers along with it.

Both have the ability to single-handedly take over games while feeding off of each other. My belief is that Westbrook will realize that stats are much less important than winning games and having stuff left in the tank in the postseason.  

While Steven Adams is no throw-away player, I could have put basically anyone in the third spot and OKC still would be number one due to Westbrook and George.

Next: 5 keys for the Wolves to clinch a top-3 playoff seed

It’s anyone’s guess what happens with George beyond the 2017-18 season, but it may not even take him leaving in free agency for the Timberwolves’ Big Three to overtake OKC’s. Towns and Butler are no joke, and if Wiggins improves defensively, look out Northwest Division NBA.