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Minnesota Timberwolves Power Rankings: KAT loses his crown

By Jake Paynting

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 24: Taj Gibson #67, Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on during the game against the Miami Heat on November 24, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 24: Taj Gibson #67, Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on during the game against the Miami Heat on November 24, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 24: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on after the game against the Miami Heat on November 24, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 24: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on after the game against the Miami Heat on November 24, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

1. Jimmy Butler (2)

Season stats: 36.2 MPG – 17.2 PPG – 5.4 RPG – 4.3 APG – 43.9% FG – 38.3% 3PT – 80.9% FT

Weekly stats: 35.9 MPG – 23.0 PPG – 4.3 RPG – 4.0 APG – 50.9% FG – 66.7% 3PT – 56.3% FT

It took longer than some fans expected for Jimmy G. Buckets to start consistently getting buckets for Minnesota. When he has though, Jimmy Butler has brought Timberwolves fans’ everywhere a joy they haven’t seen since the Kevin Garnett era.

The joy of watching a good team win games. Ahhh, it’s been a long time Minnesota. The Wolves are finally playing good basketball, and Jimmy Buckets is one of the key reasons why – and this week may have been his best yet.

In a basketball sense … and a media sense.

https://twitter.com/thedailywolf/status/934931904264097792

Basketball wise, Butler was back to his elite two-way status.

He dropped 26 points against Orlando, going 3-4 from downtown, and backed that up with a team-high  18 points in the loss to the Heat. Butler kept his hot week going for a third game in a row against Phoenix, burying another 25 points on 11-19 shooting.

His defense was its usual elite self, but this may be the first time we have seen Butler’s shooting stay on for a long period of time.

The most impressive thing about Butler’s power rankings week however may be his rise rise from 3-point land.

Butler shot over 66 percent from 3 this week, helping his season clip reach a tick over 38 percent, which is a career-high for Mr. Buckets. The lack of outside shooting predicted to hurt the Timberwolves when they acquired Butler, but his steady improvement from long range throughout the season has fans much less worried about their teams shooting.

Even with Andrew Wiggins generally struggling from outside.

Next: Timberwolves offense limps to the finish line against the Wizards

If Butler can keep his offensive game going – which we know he can – he will be hard-pressed to lose his number one spot in the power rankings, perhaps for the entire NBA year.

Tune in next week to see who the best Wolves performers are!

*All season and weekly statistics are via NBA.com/stats*

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