Although the Minnesota Timberwolves missed the playoffs last season, there are several things they can do to improve this offseason.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are just one year removed from being a playoff team in the difficult Western Conference. After a chaotic 2018-19 season, the Timberwolves will look to get back on track towards a playoff run this upcoming season.
To start the season, there was drama surrounding Jimmy Butler and his desire to play for another team. Upon Butler being traded, Minnesota had to readjust their rotations with brand new players being added to the roster. Although the Timberwolves acquired two immediate starters in Robert Covington and Dario Saric, losing a superstar like Butler makes things very difficult for a franchise to get things back on track.
Just a couple of months after losing their star player, the Timberwolves had another major shakeup within the organization. In January, just about halfway through the season, head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, this was a decision that had been under consideration since the Butler trade, and the organization felt it had to be made.
Sources tell @TheAthleticMIN that wolves evaluated Thibs and team over the last period post Jimmy Butler trade and just decided that something needed to change. The sense of urgency is through roof. Thibs informed right after game
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) January 7, 2019
At that point, assistant coach Ryan Saunders was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Although Saunders was qualified for the job, it was still a difficult transition for the team and not an easy task.
Not only did Minnesota experience drastic roster and coaching changes, but they also had horrible injury luck. Some of their most productive players could not stay healthy last season, resulting in almost never having their roster at full-strength. A full offseason of getting healthy in itself will be crucial for the outcome of next season.
With everything that happened last season, some consistency next thing will do wonders for this team. The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the season at 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 36-46.
Unlike many of the other teams that missed the playoffs last season, the Timberwolves were not a horrible team. There are several teams who need to rebuild and run a complete overhaul before getting back to the playoffs. However, the Timberwolves are not one of those teams. With just a few efficient moves, they can find themselves right back in the top eight in the conference.
Let’s look at three goals they should have this offseason in an effort to have the team poised for another playoff run.