Timberwolves: Today’s adversity will lead to tomorrow’s success

There is a lot to say about the Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-23 NBA season. Unlike the Timberwolves fans who may not agree on the direction the Timberwolves are taking, nor be in agreement over who is currently on the Timberwolves roster, the Timberwolves players do not disagree.

In fact, a 2022-23 NBA season with so much adversity may be exactly what the doctor ordered in terms of bringing this Timberwolves roster into synchronization, despite the fact that the starting five players had almost no game-time experience playing on the basketball court simultaneously.

Adversity is the forge that brings individuals together as a team. It’s instinctive, an inherent reflex reaction of survival that binds humans when conditions become harsh. The willingness to ignore dissent and differences increases exponentially as external conditions and forces become more hostile.

The Timberwolves’ 2022-23 season helped to forge this team

The Minnesota Timberwolves survived one helluva gauntlet in terms of illness, injury, and overall adversity throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. As a result, the individual players on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster are closer than ever:

In the end, the Timberwolves never had that opportunity to coast, to sit back and enjoy the sights, or even to pause and savor the moment. This was a team who, even in the NBA Playoffs, were two players short. And in Game 5, the game lost to the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, the team had to compete without starting SF Jaden McDaniels, backup center Naz Reid, or point forward Kyle Anderson.

The Timberwolves competed against the best team in the NBA Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets. Despite an old-fashioned beat down, the Timberwolves improved with each game and nearly won Game 5 to send the series back to Target Center. From there, who knows if the Timberwolves could have pushed the series to a seventh game?

But this was all food for the Timberwolves’ roster for next season. This was a team that hardly met before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season. The Minnesota Timberwolves starting five barely competed together on the basketball court. But there was no quit in this team.

The foundation is laid for a brighter 2023-24 NBA season. Two consecutive NBA Playoff appearances. Perhaps the third time is the charm?