Minnesota Timberwolves: Why the 2021 season will be better than 2020

Minnesota Timberwolves: Why the 2021 season will be better than 2020

Getting back into the playoff picture

It seems as though the Timberwolves will find themselves in the playoff picture come next season. Whether or not they will be able to make the full leap into the playoffs remains to be seen, but getting into the picture is an improvement from finishing down at No. 14 in the West this season.

Looking at the playoff picture for the 2019-20 season, the two teams from the Western Conference that took the biggest leap from lottery-bound into the playoffs are the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.

Both the Mavs and Grizzlies finished the 2018-19 season with a winning percentage of .402. Currently, Dallas has improved their winning percentage to .597 and sit as the No. 7 seed in the West while Memphis is No. 8 with a .492 winning percentage.

Minnesota has a bigger hill to climb as they finished this season at .297, but similar to both Dallas and Memphis, they added a star in D’Angelo Russell to their roster. The Mavs essentially added Kristaps Porzingis this season as he came back from injury while the Grizzlies drafted Ja Morant.

Adding Russell also gives the Wolves a second All-Star on the team alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. The NBA has basically shifted to All-Star duos instead of “Big Threes.” Looking at the 16 teams currently in playoff spots, 11 have two players who were named All-Stars this season or in the recent past.

The Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors are the only non-playoff teams with two former All-Stars on their roster. Out of these six teams, only the Wolves and Warriors have had their stars play in the All-Star game within the last two seasons.

While it may be hard to believe considering the Wolves have one player in KAT who has suited up for a playoff game in a Timberwolves jersey, Minnesota has a good amount of players with playoff experience.

In total, the Wolves have eight players on the roster who have been part of a playoff series. This will go a long way next season when they are apart of the playoff race as they will have a roster filled with players who know what it takes to get to the playoffs.

Here’s to a successful offseason and a better Timberwolves season in 2020-21.