Minnesota Timberwolves: Built for Future Success

Although they had a disappointing season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the pieces to turn things around and get back on the right track going forward.

After making the playoffs in the 2017-18 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a disappointing season in 2018-19. Finishing with a record of 36-46, good for 11th in the Western Conference.

Although it may appear Minnesota is trending in the wrong direction, I do not think that is the case when you take a deeper look at their roster. Based on their current contracts, they do have several players due to be free agents this summer. That being said, only one of them is a young, rising player.

The players slated to be free agents this summer include Taj Gibson, Jerryd Bayless, Anthony Tolliver, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, and Tyus Jones. Among these players, the only guy under 30 years old is Tyus Jones, who is a restricted free agent. This means Minnesota can match any offer sheet he receives and keep him around if they so choose.

If the Timberwolves are able to retain Jones, they essentially are just cutting loose the oldest players on last year’s roster who are not part of their long-term plans. With the retention of Jones, as well as the signing of their number eleven overall draft pick next month, the Timberwolves would have nine players on their books heading into free agency, all of which age 30 or younger.

This would give the Timberwolves six roster spots to work with. If they are able to fill these spots with younger players who are able to contribute immediately, there should be optimism about the direction of the franchise.

Under the guidance of new President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot of potential going forward. With just one or two more key pieces, they could easily be headed back to the playoffs next season.

Staying healthy will be key, as injuries were one of the main causes of the inconsistencies Minnesota faced last season. When fully healthy, the currently constructed roster is impressive. If Keita Bates-Diop and Josh Okogie are able to improve and develop with a full offseason ahead of them, they will be even more important than they were last season as rookies.

Minnesota Timberwolves fans should be extremely optimistic heading into next season. Unlike many of the other teams that did not make the playoffs last season, Minnesota is not far off from making another playoff appearance. Due to recency bias, it’s easy to forget that just over a year ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves were among the best teams in the Western Conference.