B/R confirms that Timberwolves young core surpasses that of Jazz (and 21 other teams)

Bleacher Report ranks Timberwolves’ young core

The truth of the matter is that the Minnesota Timberwolves have clobbered the competition in terms of feeding their team talented young players, despite what many on social media have dubbed ‘The worst trade in NBA history.’  Truth be told, draft picks are only as valuable as the players acquired with them. Right now, it truly appears as though the Timberwolves are winning where it counts, in the talent on their roster.

So Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale took it upon himself to write an article that addressed the effectiveness of NBA teams to onboard young talent, or as the criteria of his article termed it, the 23-year-old and younger crowd. He named his article Ranking the Best Young NBA Cores After Free Agency and covered the Top-10 NBA teams with a solid core of young contributors.

The Timberwolves’ young core is NBA Playoff tested

In the article, the Minnesota Timberwolves were ranked seventh among ten NBA teams. The kicker? The Utah Jazz did not even make the list.  Here’s what Favale had to say about the Wolves’ young guns:

"‘It’s tempting to put the Timberwolves higher. Edwards is #ThatDude, in every way and shape and form. Jaden McDaniels partners relentless defense and dependable shooting with a disarming and burgeoning floor game. We need to see more from the rest before jacking up Minnesota’ collective ranking.’ – per Bleacher Report Dan Favale"

Just for the record, the Timberwolves were ranked higher than the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers. The team ranked below the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, and of course, the San Antonio Spurs.

While I’m not quite to the point where I’m willing to argue that the Timberwolves’ young core is better than that of the Thunder and the Spurs, every other team is fair game. The Timberwolves’ young players are not just gifted, but this is a group of players who, with the exception of rookie additions Leonard Miller and Jaylen Clark, are NBA Playoff tested.

There are four levels of play in the NBA.

1. Summer League
2. Preseason games
3. Regular season games
4. NBA Playoffs

Most players who are NBA-worthy can get to level 3. But even very good NBA players wilt in level 4. That is not true of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ young players, who seem to get better in the NBA Playoffs.

The Timberwolves are not just getting younger. And the Timberwolves are certainly not stockpiling draft picks for a rainy day. The Timberwolves are taking meticulous care to fit the right players to the Timberwolves roster, much like a person might take their time to sort through a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle for just the right piece.

This is certainly not a race. But there is a bit of a success factor at play here as well. So far, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ streak of competing in the NBA Playoffs continues. And if this Bleacher Report article is close to accurate, the Timberwolves will continue to do so for a very long time.