Winners and losers from the first half of Timberwolves’ 2022-23 season

Loser: Jaylen Nowell

There was a significant amount of hype surrounding several of Minnesota’s bench pieces in the offseason, and none stood out more than Jaylen Nowell. Coming off a year in 2021-22 where he shot a career-high from the field and from three, there were some lofty expectations on what Nowell could bring to the Timberwolves as a sixth man.

Here at Dunking With Wolves, we predicted Jaylen Nowell to be Minnesota’s leading scorer off the bench before the season started. So far, that is a feat he has achieved, edging out Naz Reid in points per game average. But his impact as a scorer has not been quite as significant as expected , and that has been something of a disappointment.

Nowell is actually averaging a career-high 11.3 points per contest for the Timberwolves, but it has been the noticeable dip in his efficiency that has left more to be desired. Playing the most minutes of his career, Nowell is shooting a full four percentage points lower than last season while knocking down a dreadful 28% of his three-point shots.

Additionally, his inconsistency has been a recurring problem. Nowell has scored 20 or more on four occasions this season, but has also recorded six points or less 10 times. Overall, his play has been a letdown based on his preseason projections.