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Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 biggest reasons to get excited about the 2020-21 season

By Phil Ford

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves huddles with teammates against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena on February 26, 2020 in Miami, Florida. 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves huddles with teammates against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena on February 26, 2020 in Miami, Florida. 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell
Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Reason to be excited about 2020-21 Minnesota Timberwolves: Healthy stars

Karl-Anthony Towns got off to a fantastic start last season, averaging 26.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting almost 42 percent from three in his first 23 games in 2019. After a 39-point game on Dec. 13 (a loss against the Clippers) Towns injured his knee and missed the next 15 games.

Towns returned for 12 games in January and February, until he finally went down for the rest of the season with a wrist injury.

All-in-all, the Wolves’ best player only played 35 games last season, the first injury-plagued season of his career.

Towns’ close friend and also good basketball player D’Angelo Russell was also hampered by injuries last season. Russell only played a total of 45 games last year, with 12 of them coming in Minnesota. A shoulder contusion, sprained thumb, and ankle injury dogged Russell in the Bay Area, and Russell even missed his first game after being traded to Minnesota with a quad injury.

Now it’s been 10 months since Towns last played an NBA game, and nine months since last season ended for the Wolves. Both stars are healthy and ready to prove that last season’s injuries will not define their careers.

Timberwolves fans don’t have a lot to go off of in terms of how Towns and his wingman Russell will fair together. Because of Towns’ injuries, the pals only played one game together, a 137-126 loss to the Raptors.

In that game, Towns scored 23 points and dished out seven assists while Russell added 22 points and five assists. Unfortunately, Towns committed five turnovers and Russell turned the ball over six times. Luckily, one game in February doesn’t mean much for 72 games upcoming for the 2020-21 season.

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Towns and Russell are two of the top young players in the league. Their games fit together well. Both can shoot from anywhere on the court and will be one of the best offensive duos in the league. The question is if either will ever actually become a good defensive player. Russell refuses to try on the defensive end while Towns sometimes tries too hard, chasing blocks and leaving players unattended under the basket for easy put-backs and dump-offs.

Defensive woes notwithstanding, these two will be a dynamic pairing and will make the Wolves a NBA League Pass darling this season, leading one of the most high powered offenses in the league.

Russell is the second-best player Towns has ever had alongside him (after Jimmy Butler), and it will be fun to see what he can do with a real number two whom Towns can feel comfortable with running the offense.

Bringing back two healthy stars and pairing them with an influx of new talent is undoubtedly how you get fans excited for the upcoming season, but there is another reason why Timberwolves fans might be even more pumped than in previous years.

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