Minnesota Timberwolves ranked too low in ESPN offseason power rankings

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Timberwolves have had a quiet offseason.

On the heels of a bottom-five finish league-wide and precious few offseason transactions of note, it’s easy to overlook the Wolves heading into the 2021-22 season. In fact, it would even be fair to say that the Timberwolves don’t “deserve” much in the way of respect.

But does it make sense to assume that the Wolves will once again be one of the five worst teams in the NBA? As of now, at least, ESPN thinks so.

Minnesota Timberwolves ranked too low in ESPN offseason power rankings

ESPN’s offseason power rankings were updated post-draft and free agency. While the Wolves didn’t have a draft selection and have not signed anyone to a full NBA deal, they’ve pulled off two trades.

Gone are Ricky Rubio, Jarrett Culver, and Juancho Hernangomez. New to the roster are veterans Taurean Prince and Patrick Beverley. The nucleus of last year’s 23-49 squad, however, remains intact.

The obvious caveat is that Karl-Anthony Towns appeared in only 50 games, D’Angelo Russell played in 42 and started only 26 due to a minutes restriction, and Malik Beasley suited up for only 37 contests.

Still, ESPN has ranked the Wolves as the No. 25 team in the league heading into the meat of the NBA offseason, ahead of only the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Somehow, the Wolves are ranked below the Sacramento Kings (No. 24) and San Antonio Spurs (No. 23). Minnesota unquestionably has a superior roster to both of those teams. At worst, the Wolves should have landed at No. 23.

Arguments could be made to have the Wolves ahead of the likes of the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and New Orleans Pelicans, who are all ranked in succession from No. 19 to No. 22.

The Raptors and Wizards are both trying to retool on the fly and remain competitive as fringe playoff teams, while the Bulls and Pelicans are attempting to find the proper combination of support players for their young stars, so far to no avail.

The Wolves could easily be lumped in with the Bulls and Pelicans, but the supporting cast around Towns has a much higher upside than what can be found in Chicago or New Orleans: a recent All-Star in Russell, Rookie of the Year runner-up, and No. 1 overall pick in Anthony Edwards, another 20-point-per-game scorer in Beasley, not to mention the up-and-coming Jaden McDaniels.

While it’s understandable that the Wolves don’t rank anywhere near the surefire playoff teams, sitting behind teams like the Kings, Spurs, Pelicans, and Bulls in these rankings is a hard thing to justify.