The Minnesota Timberwolves will take the floor for their highly-anticipated regular season debut on Wednesday evening. It’ll be the culmination of a long offseason of work and roster-building.
With so many star talents set to don the Timberwolves uniform, expectations are at maybe an all-time high for Minnesota. The group that earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference and pushed the Memphis Grizzlies to six games in the playoffs last season has only gotten better.
Not to mention, there’s still somewhat of a surprise element at play with this team. Just how much better will players like Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels be? The answer will likely have massive implications on the Timberwolves’ season.
Likewise, as the season goes along, certain players are going to be crucial to Minnesota’s success. There’s a lot of talent on this roster top to bottom, but some players will naturally be more vital to the team’s success than others.
Let’s break down who is going to be most important to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ success this season.
17. Wendell Moore Jr.
First off, this placement for Wendell Moore isn’t a slight on his talent by any means. Over his three collegiate seasons at Duke, he developed into a strong, versatile wing who has a lot of potential as a playmaker.
Defensively he’s a menace, and he will no doubt make a name for himself on that end of the floor in due time. But as it currently stands, he’s just going to be buried too deep in the rotation.
Could he be a meaningful contributor this season if he earns significant minutes? Absolutely. But in all likelihood, he’ll be best served watching and learning from the vets in his rookie campaign.
16. Josh Minott
It’s probably not surprising that the two rookies earned the last two spots on this list. The same points about Wendell Moore not seeing the floor very much will likely apply to Josh Minott as well.
However, the reason Minott is placed above Moore here is more about positional need for the Timberwolves. Whereas Moore projects as more of a small wing, Minott is built to play in the frontcourt with his 6’8″ frame.
Size is always an important factor in the NBA, and it’s not unlikely that Minott could see some extra burn in his rookie year due to his combination of height and high motor.