Minnesota Timberwolves news: NBA Math ranks Wolves roster in their Crystal Ball series

MOORHEAD, MN - AUGUST 29: Crunch the Wolf, mascot of the Minnesota Timberwolves, participates in the unveiling and ribbon cutting of a refurbished basketball court as part of the Timberwolves New Era. New Courts. program on August 29, 2017 at Woodlawn Park in Moorhead, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MOORHEAD, MN - AUGUST 29: Crunch the Wolf, mascot of the Minnesota Timberwolves, participates in the unveiling and ribbon cutting of a refurbished basketball court as part of the Timberwolves New Era. New Courts. program on August 29, 2017 at Woodlawn Park in Moorhead, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA Math site ranked every soul on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster, grading their value relative to the rest of the league.

For the past year, NBA Math has become a growing force in the NBA community. Their Total Points Added metric, a way to value a player’s defensive and offensive effectiveness on a per-possession basis, has put them on the map to stardom.

Since then, they have added other extremely useful tools such as Rolling Team Ratings and Play-Type Profiles. I also hear they have a wonderful staff working for them which is what really makes the site run (disclaimer: I may or may not be a part of that staff).

In addition to those tools, the site is embarking on a new adventure before the season begins. They have undertaken the daunting task of ranking every single player who is rostered on an NBA team. They started with the Atlanta Hawks and are working their way in alphabetical fashion.

On Friday, they released the rankings for the new-look Wolves.

However, before I give you a glimpse into the Wolves’ Crystal Ball, here is the ranking system the NBA Math crew operated under:

  1. Shouldn’t Get Minutes
  2. End-of-Bench Pieces
  3. Depth Pieces
  4. High-End Backups
  5. Low-End Starters
  6. Solid Starters
  7. High-End Starters, Non-All-Stars
  8. All-Star Candidates
  9. All-NBA Candidates, Non-MVP Candidates
  10. Lesser MVP Candidates
  11. MVP Frontrunners
  12. Best Player in the League (only one player could earn this grade on each ballot)

Unsurprisingly, Jimmy Butler received the highest mark for Minnesota. His 9.31 ranking bills him as just below a lesser MCP Candidate.

New point guard Jeff Teague earned himself a 5.75. That’s somewhat low considering he’s started nearly every game he’s played in since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. He’s also a one-time All-Star and would be a starter on the majority of teams in the league.

They are even so up-to-date that they have the very-recent Aaron Brooks signing. Make to check it all out and see where your favorite Wolves’ player lands.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 20 draft picks of all time

I don’t want to spoil too much, so make sure you check out the rankings here and hop on the NBA Math bandwagon before it gets too full.