Minnesota Timberwolves: Power rankings round-up, Week One

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 2-0, and they’ve ascended slightly in several power rankings published following the first week of play.

Let’s take a spin around the NBA blogosphere and see where the Wolves sit.

The Athletic ranks the Minnesota Timberwolves the lowest

The Athletic’s power rankings, penned by Zach Harper, have the Wolves lower than any other outlet (subscription required) that has already released their Week One rankings.

The Wolves are ranked No. 21, which is up a single spot from their preseason spot on his list.

Bonus points go to Harper for having some of the more in-depth commentary of any of the rankings considered. He spends much of the space discussing the impact of Anthony Edwards, and it’s a fun read.

Two rankings have the Minnesota Timberwolves rising two spots

There are two media outlets that had ranked the Wolves at No. 22 coming into the season. All three of them now have the Wolves ranked No. 20.

ESPN polls a panel of seven experts weekly to determine their power rankings. In theory, this should be a solid cross-section of how national media analysts view the Wolves since it isn’t simply one writer’s opinion.

They don’t, however, provide much in commentary, simply noting that the Wolves have taken care of business against inferior opponents while playing “stingy defense.”

Sporting News also has the Wolves ranked at No. 22 and now has them at No. 20, citing “a different energy” and shouting out their net rating that currently ranks fifth in the league.

John Schuhmann ranks the Minnesota Timberwolves higher than other analysts

NBA.com scribe John Schumann puts together some of the most comprehensive and well-thought-out power rankings out there, and he just so happens to have the Wolves ranked all the way up at No. 18, up from No. 19.

Schumann notes the Wolves’ impressive play on the defensive end of the floor while acknowledging the shortcomings of their opponents, but he also gives props to Karl-Anthony Towns for putting up a 69 percent effective field goal percentage en route to 27.5 points per game — arguably even more impressive given the Wolves struggles in general on offense thus far.

There’s also an important note at the end of the write-up: following Monday night’s tilt against the Pelicans, the Wolves will face a top-six offense from last season in five of their next six games.

The defense will be tested, and it will be fascinating to see how it holds up over the next couple of weeks.