It has been 12 years since the Timberwolves last found themselves five games over .500. What factors have led to the team’s success to put them in this position early on?
As it stands right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves are 10-6 and trail the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors by 2.5 games for first place in the West. Many Wolves fans may not believe they are reading that right, just know you are.
This is uncharted territory for the Wolves. The last time they were five games above .500 was back in 2005 when Karl-Anthony Towns was 10-years-old. It is very easy to get excited about where the Wolves are currently at. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the season is still young.
However, the Wolves undoubtedly look like a different team this year. They are finding ways to win the games that they should be winning, even while playing inconsistently at times. Not giving up while down and continuing to play hard, such as against the Mavericks, is a huge factor towards what the team’s overall record is and will be.
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That is not all though. The Wolves are doing a great job forcing turnovers as well as finally seeing production from their bench. On top of that, the Wolves have found some more success from beyond the arc to help with scoring.
All these intangibles have led the Wolves to the position they currently find themselves in. There is always room to improve, they aren’t quite on the Warriors level yet. However, the Wolves are doing what needs to be done in order to grind out wins. This crucial in a conference where there is not much room for mistakes.
In order to keep pumping out wins the Wolves must keep these five keys going throughout the season and then some. But for now, let’s take looks at the five keys to the early success of the Wolves.