5 Minnesota Timberwolves who may not be back next season

The Minnesota Timberwolves have fallen to a record of 31-30 with a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Wizards at Target Center. That’s not where fans have expected this team. But truthfully, if the team does not turn their momentum around to the positive quite quickly, things can get quite ugly quite quickly.  So the first step to a cure is to get the right problem identified. Well, perimeter shooting continues to be an item that jumps off the page.

Even after the team has clearly improved, their perimeter shooting (35.6 percent scoring) is no better than 18th in a 30-team NBA league. Contrast that to their perimeter defense (allowing 36.8 percent shooting) of 24th in the NBA, and you can see the problem. The Timberwolves are getting beaten beyond the arc, outflanked, and it will get worse, much worse if the team competes in the post-season.

Timberwolves roster reset at NBA Trade Deadline

The Timberwolves have several players whose 2022-23 NBA season performance had fallen far below their career averages on perimeter shooting. One such player, Bryn Forbes, was released outright at the NBA Trade Deadline, to make room on the roster after the team traded PG D’Angelo Russell, and got PG Mike Conley Jr. and SG Nikeil Alexander Walker in return.

So how can the Timberwolves correct the matter? Well, they could simply devote coaching and emphasize perimeter shooting. But NBA veterans should already be able to recognize and self-diagnose their own problems. The only other option available is the need to refurbish their current roster. But like a fully furnished room in the house, that will mean removing some pieces, and tearing out other pieces, to make room on the roster.