Where the Minnesota Timberwolves must improve to make the playoffs

Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are the primary two reasons to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are the primary two reasons to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards
Young Minnesota Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are key reasons why the Wolves were often mentioned in the NBA GM survey. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

With the first week of basketball well underway, it’s clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves have the necessary tools to make a much-needed playoff push.

Between two star-caliber players in Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, to young players with immense potential in Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, this Wolves team is littered with talent and depth that could lead to a much improved season.

But, despite the talent this team has, some things need to happen with their players and defense if they want to improve from last year and make the playoffs.

Let’s look at the three major things that need to happen to make the Wolves playoff dreams a reality.

No. 1:  Anthony Edwards must make a sophomore leap for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards might be the most exciting player for Timberwolves fans heading into the new season.

With the explosiveness and scoring ability that he displayed last year, many believe that Edwards is due for a significant sophomore leap, which is what needs to happen to get the Wolves in the playoffs.

It was apparent last year that the KAT and D’Lo duo wasn’t enough at times scoring-wise to make up for their lack of defense. If Edwards can exceed expectations in his second year on the offensive side of the ball, this would make the Timberwolves very versatile and give opposing teams a lot of trouble adding a third star-caliber player to the mix.

The former first-overall pick is very capable of improving his stats from his rookie campaign, and if he does, the Wolves will have a new trio to combat the tough competition in the western conference.