Money matters to the Minnesota Timberwolves right now, perhaps more than many fans realize. In the past, the Timberwolves’ roster did not have many Top-Tier NBA players, so the team was able to load up with players who could play well enough in the regular season at a less expensive contract price. Of course, that was then, this is now.
Now, the Timberwolves roster is on a collision course with top NBA players, in so much as the team has C Rudy Gobert, PF Karl-Anthony Towns, and will be paying rising NBA stars SG Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. So with all of these current and future financial commitments hitting the books, what can the Timberwolves’ front office do?
Thankfully, the team is already investing in players who make incredible economic sense for the team. One such player is PF Josh Minott, a player drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 45th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, but who was ultimately chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lookin at some cap stuff, and Josh Minott's contract really stands out. If he's a fraction as good as the fanbase thinks he can be, this deal is crazy value.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) June 6, 2023
Next season Minott is going to make $1.72M (1.28% of the salary cap). 385 players made over 1.28% of the cap last season. pic.twitter.com/TRwZkyBwy5
But what has Josh Minott done for the Minnesota Timberwolves so far?
Look for Minott to step up in the 2023-24 NBA season
Josh Minott had the misfortune of arriving at the Minnesota Timberwolves as a rookie when all hell broke loose. The problem is that rookie power forward Josh Minott was simply too raw to get a great deal of work on the Timberwolves roster that was itself scrambling to plug holes in the lineup due to so many injuries.
That meant that even as a player on a regular contract, Minott split his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves:
15 games | 6.4 minutes | 3.1 points | 1.7 rebounds | 0.3 assists | 0.3 steals | 0.4 blocks
And the G-League Iowa Wolves:
9 games | 29.3 minutes | 20.6 points | 7.3 rebounds | 1.8 assists | 1.3 steals | 1.6 blocks
The Minnesota Timberwolves have every reason in the world to leverage the play of less expensive players like Josh Minott in the 2023-24 NBA season. And truth be told, his flashes in the 2022-23 NBA season showcased a young man who could truly step up if given more minutes.
Despite the frontcourt crunch for the Timberwolves last season, young players like Josh Minott and Luka Garza truly helped keep the team on an even keel. The Timberwolves will need to lean even more heavily upon young affordable players going forward, as the team’s top talent will only become more and more expensive.