Jaylen Nowell: The spark plug the Minnesota Timberwolves need

Timberwolves’ new offensive spark

With Jaylen Nowell likely absorbing former teammate Malik Beasley’s minutes, he very well may jump from 15 to 25 minutes per game. More minutes, more shots, more responsibilities. And that is something that should be very exciting for Timberwolves fans to see this year.

On low volume (6.7 field goals attempted – FGA) Nowell scored 1.25 points per possession (PPP) according to statmuse. On far greater volume, players like Kevin Durant (1.27 PPP) and Steph Curry (1.19 PPP) had similar points per possession marks. If Minnesota has the regular-season record we hope they do, Nowell getting the nod for NBA 6th Man of the Year is not out of the question.

Of the previous five NBA 6th Man of the Year winners, four players have played on teams that made the playoffs and won at least 48 games. They include Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro, Utah Jazz shooting guard Jordan Clarkson, and Atlanta Hawks combination guard Lou Williams.  All members of this group have similar traits as Nowell.

They all have a knack for scoring the basketball while they can get to their sweet spots. This is a group of capable midrange shooters that routinely bail out their teams in worrisome situations. I expect the Timberwolves to compete for homecourt in the Western Conference playoffs. Up to 55 wins sound very realistic now that Minnesota should have at least a top-five-ish defense and offense (for the whole season). With that win total and Nowell making statistical improvements due to playing time, don’t count him out as the 2022-23 NBA 6th Man of the Year winner.