Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 Bold predictions for the 2022-23 season

As we near the end of August, there’s now less than two months until the Minnesota Timberwolves take the floor for their first regular season game. While NBA offseason rumors are still swirling, the Wolves’ roster is nearly set, and training camp will be underway before we know it.

The closer we get to the start of the season, the more the anticipation and hype builds around this group, and for good reason. With Kevin Durant remaining in Brooklyn, it’s fair to say Minnesota made the biggest splash of the NBA offseason by acquiring Rudy Gobert. In fact, it may have been that trade that temporarily halted the NBA trade market in July.

Basketball fans and analysts alike can’t stop talking about the Timberwolves. Between Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Gobert, the ceiling for this group is astronomically high. They’re set to be one of the most exciting teams in the league, and everyone is wondering just how good they will be. As currently constructed, they’re in a position to achieve as much as they have in any season in franchise history.

Playing in a stacked Western Conference, the Timberwolves will have their work cut out for them. But they’re still set up to achieve great things. Here are three bold predictions for Minnesota in 2022-23.

1. Timberwolves Win 55+ Games

A year after exceeding preseason predictions and winning 46 games, the expectations for the Timberwolves in the regular season will be understandably high. After all, they added one of the most impactful defensive anchors in the NBA to an already talented roster.

That’s partly why I think the Timberwolves will take another big leap and finish with 55 or more wins in 2022-23. Rudy Gobert’s rim protection will add another layer to what Minnesota can do, and scheme-wise, it’ll open up a world of new possibilities.

With the Stifle Tower locking down the paint and leading the way on defense, the Timberwolves will be in position to be one of the best defensive clubs in all of basketball. Of the last 21 NBA Champions, 20 finished with a top-10 defensive rating in the season they won the title.

With Minnesota’s defensive upside at an all-time high, they’ll be in an excellent position to win more regular season games by being able to get stops when it matters in close contests. Opposing guards will be smothered in the paint by Rudy Gobert’s long arms and quick feet.

And offensively, the Timberwolves still have the star power to outscore other high-octane offenses. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards bringing their respective scoring prowess to the table, Minnesota will start three All-Star caliber players.

If they stay healthy, 55 wins should be a lock, even in a deep Western Conference.

2. Timberwolves Earn A Top 4 Seed In The West

If Minnesota is going to win north of 55 games in 2022-23, it seems logical that they would end up in the top half of the playoff bracket. While it may seem like a tall order to finish in the top four seeds and secure home court in the first round, the Timberwolves will have the personnel to win consistently enough where it will be a possibility.

A team of Minnesota’s caliber finishing significantly higher than it did last year isn’t without precedent either. Several teams in recent memory have had a breakout regular season where they rose to prominence as a true contender. Just last year, the Memphis Grizzlies finished six spots higher than they did in 2021, tying their franchise record for wins in the regular season.

The year before that, the Phoenix Suns earned the two seed in the West and made it to the NBA Finals after finishing 10th in the conference the previous year.

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Of course, if the Timberwolves are going to finish with a top four seed next year, that means they’ll have to win more than several teams that finished above them last season. With the Warriors, Suns, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Mavericks all virtual locks to return to the playoffs next April, Minnesota will have to be better than at least two of them before regular season’s end.

With all the talent in the Western Conference, it won’t be easy. But if the Timberwolves can fall on the right side of the injury luck coin, they should be able to secure home court for the first round.

3. Timberwolves Make The Western Conference Finals

Whether the Timberwolves wind up with a top four seed or not, they’re going to be in the playoff picture regardless. The question is, how far can they reasonably go? With the brilliant moves the front office made in the offseason, I think it’s fair to say they’re primed for a very deep postseason run next year.

The players the Timberwolves lost in the Rudy Gobert trade weren’t insignificant, and the hole they left behind might have crippled a less competent front office. But Tim Connelly and company devised a well-rounded plan, replacing the production of lost role players with fresh talent like Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes.

With the new additions they made and after drafting well in June, Minnesota shouldn’t miss a beat and should be set up to reap the full benefits of adding a star like Gobert to their roster in the playoffs.

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The modern era of basketball has taught us that perhaps the most valuable piece you can have in a playoff series is an offensively versatile guard or wing that can generate offense at will. The best players on championship teams tend to be these types of players.

Thankfully, the Timberwolves have their own budding offensive superstar in Anthony Edwards. His self-creation abilities are rare and he’s already shown he can produce on the biggest stage. Ant will undoubtedly be the biggest factor in determining how far Minnesota goes next year.

If this group plays to their potential, they can make it back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the Kevin Garnett days in 2004. Doing so would likely require eliminating a Western Conference heavyweight or two, but that’s just how special this group can be.