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5 reasons to not worry about the Minnesota Timberwolves

By Jake Paynting

SHENZHEN, CHINA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during practice at Shenzhen Gymnasium as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China on October 4, 2017 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images)
SHENZHEN, CHINA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during practice at Shenzhen Gymnasium as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China on October 4, 2017 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 24: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves high five during the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 24, 2017 at 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 24: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves high five during the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 24, 2017 at 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. The youth is still there

Despite the major offseason overhaul they were put through by Tom Thibodeau and Co., the young Minnesota Timberwolves that we had come to know and love are, for the most part, still largely intact.

Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn may both have been shipped off in the deal that brought Jimmy Butler to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but according to Hero Sports, the average age of the Timberwolves is still just 26.53. (And that’s with their wily sixth-man Jamal Crawford skewing the total at age 37.)

That 26.53 mark is still young however, and it’s the manner in which that average comes about that Wolves fans should be salivating at.

Jimmy Butler is currently smack-bang in the middle of his prime at 28-years-old. With one more guaranteed year on his contract and  a player option on the following year, not to mention his and Thibodeau’s coach-player bromance, Butler figures to be in Minnesota right to the end of this prime.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the scale, a pair of 22-year-olds in Wiggins and Towns are, unfathomably, probably four to six years from hitting their prime playing age.

Kobe Bryant, who had two jerseys retired this week, averaged 28.5 points per contest and hit 30.5 percent of this 3-pointers at age 22, but he was dropping 35.4 and nailing 35 percent of his threes at age 28.

While Wiggins nor Towns are Bryant, age matters. Growing in the body and mind matters.

https://twitter.com/SportsLeakers/status/925184997085999104

Along with Wiggins and Towns, the Wolves boast the likes of 23-year-old Marcus Georges-Hunt, who is breaking in to Tom Thibodeau’s rotation slowly but surely with his 3-and-D potential, Tyus Jones (21), and unseen rookie Justin Patton (20) to keep the ship steady for a number of years to come.

Wolves fans should rightly criticize when warranted, but they must remember that this Minnesota Timberwolves team is built to last, and will continue to grow and grow.

Let’s enjoy that while it lasts…which, with a bit of luck, could be a while.

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