Despite a disappointing all-around season to this point, the Minnesota Timberwolves have still managed to employ a few players who have had impressive individual seasons.
The Minnesota Timberwolves revamped their roster in the days before the trade deadline. Fans were still getting acquainted with the new acquisitions before the league announced the suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A couple of the new guys skyrocketed their production in their new expanded roles, while a couple others have seen a slight increase. Of course, there is also one tenured Wolf that’s put up career numbers as well. Let’s look at the Wolves that are having their most productive seasons since entering the league.
One quick note: rookie and sophomore players were not included in this due to the lack of experience for comparison.
1. James Johnson
When the news broke that the Wolves sent out Gorgui Dieng and received James Johnson in return, many were questioning why this move was made.
Dieng is younger and was a fan favorite in Minnesota. Fast-forward to current day, it is clear that it was the right move for Rosas to make. Johnson is becoming a fan favorite in his own right.
Johnson provides the Wolves with a versatility on the defensive end as he can effectively switch onto virtually every position. He has also shown effectiveness as a distributor in a point-forward role. Since arriving in Minnesota, Johnson has averaged 12 points, 3.8 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game. Compared to the previous 10 seasons of his career, these numbers would stand at second, tied for first, and tied for third, respectively.
If we take a look at Johnson’s per-36-minute stats over the course of his career and compare them to his per 36 minute stats since joining the Wolves, we can see that these past 14 games would equate to the best statistical season of his career.
Albeit a small sample size, those per-36-minute stats would be the best of his career if he maintained them over the course of an entire season.
Let’s take a look at the other players on the list.