Austin Rivers was right, Timberwolves roster has enough talent to win

Before we stuck new 2023 calendars to our refrigerators, walls, and desks, the Minnesota Timberwolves held a players-only meeting. The team had just blown a sizable halftime lead to the Detroit Pistons, had lost a sixth consecutive game, and showed no signs of competing for an NBA Playoff berth.

Sure, the Minnesota Timberwolves were struggling at the time. But ask a question of how to fix it, and be prepared to get a kaleidoscope of diagnoses and responses. Like an elephant that has wandered into a camp of blind residents, everyone touches on a part of the problem. But nobody seems to have a handle on the true cause(s) and therefore the appropriate solution(s).

After the loss to the Detroit Pistons, a loss that ended the Timberwolves’ 2022 calendar year, the players held a players-only meeting after the game. Of course, the interest that everyone focused on was what did the players need to discuss, and are there any hopes for improvement in this team after that meeting took place?

Austin Rivers is a soothsayer?

Veteran Austin Rivers shared his thoughts after the Minnesota Timberwolves had fallen to a record of 16-21, and the outlook for the Timberwolves, plummeting in the standings after a six-game losing streak, was less than rosy.

And then, he shared this:

At the time, the message seemed rather standard for an NBA veteran to share with the media. It was a simple “We got this,” message, and Rivers delivered it calmly and convincingly. I took notes, and jotted some items down, but held on publishing anything about the event because, well quite simply, it was just a guy sticking up for his team.

Since that game, the Minnesota Timberwolves are 6-1, have restored their record to .500 at 22-22, and have beaten the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the process. In the end, Rivers was right. It is all of us. And we’re heading in the right direction now.